


To hug an egg or to not hug an egg, that is the question

by CatsNotCalculus



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Byakuya Kinda Sucks At This, Byakuya is confused because he doesn't have friends, Byakuya like actually being nice to Kyoko, Comfort, Fluff, Hugs, Kissing, M/M, Makoto is sad that his friends are dead, Romance, Sort Of, Spoilers, Spoilers for eventually every trial in the first game, very minor angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-06-16 01:57:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15426543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatsNotCalculus/pseuds/CatsNotCalculus
Summary: In the aftermath of each trial, everyone's pretty bummed out. Makoto in particular, really needs a hug.Who'd have thought that running into the library of all places to find someone was good idea?Byakuya is moderately amused, and mostly confused.





	1. After The First Trial

Makoto was an optimist. He knew that was basically the only thing he had going for him. Sure, he had a little of a lucky streak... But most of the time, he knew he wasn't exactly the most reliable person. Out of the whole group, he didn't really think all that much of himself. He was only here based on luck... and that didn't seem to be going right for him anyway. He certainly wasn't the most capable or the most talented, but that wouldn't stop him from trying his best.

There were many things he could do, and probably more things he couldn’t. Makoto could be a good friend, but sometimes he'd fail to notice when something was wrong. Sometimes he'd make mistakes, errors in judgement, etc. It just hit harder this time because of exactly what he'd screwed up. Three human lives, gone. Poof.   
  


_ I'm so sorry Sakaya. _

 

He was going to remember till the day he died, keep all the deaths - Sayaka, Junko and Leon - with him forever. That was something he could do, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t be difficult.

The second floor had opened up yesterday, so Makoto was exploring the area a little more. He let his mind wander as he walked through the halls, and that ultimately led him to the sinking feeling that weighed his steps down. Sayaka's cold dead body, Junko impaled and drenched in blood, Leon's terrified eyes as he was dragged away to execution. Guilt and misery flooded his senses, the usual curious and innocent glint in his eyes disappearing instantly.

He brought his hands to his face as his thoughts whirred, eyes widening. Sayaka’s death… was his fault. Maybe if he had noticed how strange Sayaka was acting, didn't switch rooms with her, then maybe she wouldn’t have tried to kill Leon. But he wasn't able to stop her, wasn't able to stop Leon, and then Junko…He clutched at his heart, squeezing the fabric over it as he recalled all the spears impaling her.

** There were things he couldn't do. Things he couldn't fix or redo. **

Before he knew it, a wet feeling slid down his face and he stood alone in the hallway. He felt himself shiver despite the layers of both his hoodie and blazer. _Why did Sayaka have to go?_ Loneliness curled up and settled low in his heart. It was a constant reminder, **that if only he…**

...Sayaka wouldn't forgive him if he kept this up. A shaky sob left him, despite the warm reminder of how Sayaka would have tried to cheer him up. Little gasps and sobs continued to escape his mouth as sorrow enveloped him.

It was at this time he knew that he should find something to make himself feel better, to find the comfort of someone, anyone. He wiped his eyes only a little before darting them around the hallway, searching blindly.

Anything to not be alone right now.

He hurried into the library, without really thinking about who exactly he'd run into.

 

* * *

 

That was how Byakuya found himself with an armful of lucky student clinging to him and sobbing his eyes out. It certainly caught him by surprise. He was just trying to look for a new book to read, but suddenly, without warning, arms encircled him and a head dug itself into his chest.

He was worried for a moment that the person currently attached to him would end up stabbing him but as soon as he saw the stupid brown hair, he inwardly sighed. It could only belong to a very naive lucky student, and so his worries eased enough to assess the situation better.

In the back of his mind, he still had a bit of an aching suspicion that Makoto was trying to get close enough to him for murder. However, the boy burying his face in the heir's chest was crying and behaving pathetically vulnerable, rather than preparing to lodge a knife in him.

The arms around his waist clutched at the fabric of his blazer. The silence of the library only disturbed by Makoto’s heavy sobs. Byakuya wondered why he hadn't pushed the other away yet. His face was blank, staring down at the sad brunette.

Why was Makoto sad?

The only person he should have cared about was Junko; because she hadn't planned a murder or committed one. Makoto wasn't even that close to her anyway, so why was he crying? The other two were murderers or attempted murderers, so why should he have any sympathy for either of them? The girl even tried to frame the lucky student.

His arms remained at his sides, neither accepting or rejecting Makoto's call for comfort, tolerating it more than anything else. The fact that Makoto was here with _him_ confused Byakuya more than anything else. Why would Makoto come to _him_ for this? For comfort? _Surely literally anyone else would have sufficed?_

Makoto was definitely an idiot, but it was also true that he possessed above average reasoning skills and problem-solving ability. He was useful, but he could potentially also be someone Byakuya would have to look out for. If the heir planned on becoming the blackened any time soon, he'd definitely have to deal with the boy somehow. It would likely be quite easy to kill him.

A small part of him felt a pang at that thought, but he ignored it.

The sobs quietened a little and instead heavy breaths escaped lucky student. He was still clutching tightly, very obviously still upset. Byakuya wondered again, **why** Makoto felt this way.

He found it a little disconcerting, that he could not understand the emotions of one of the most reasonable and at the same time simplest minds in the school. That thought clawed into his mind, urging him to ask the lucky student.

But he didn't say a thing, because even he knew it would be in bad taste right now. And so, he stood there, waiting for Makoto to finish, silently wishing for an opportunity to leave and cease his confusion.

When the boy's crying tapered off, the lucky student raised his head meekly and was somehow surprised to see Byakuya just staring blankly down at him, focused. _Did he really not even know who he was hugging?_ Makoto smiled awkwardly up at him through his tears.

'T-thank you. S-sorry for...uh..yeah'

Byakuya remained quiet, silence speaking volumes as his eyes narrowed. Makoto squeezed around his waist one more time before releasing the blonde, letting him go. He made his way to the library door after wiping his eyes with his sleeve. He reached out to the doorknob.

'If you require this kind of thing again, I... guess I don't mind.'

The words fell out before Byakuya could justify them. As an immediate afterthought, he supposed he could use this as a means of gaining intel on his opponent. This would also provide an easy opportunity to kill the lucky student.

But none of those reasons explained the faint upturn of lips threatening to emerge in his expression as Makoto looked back at him, smiled widely and said another 'thank you' as he left the dusty room. It didn't explain the subtle blush he couldn't stop from painting his cheeks either.

Maybe it was best not to think about it.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> I was thinking of making this a little six part series kinda thing where each one is the aftermath of a trial.  
> I might add smut toward the end, maybe? I dunno, depends how I'm feeling. Any thoughts?  
> I'm not changing the title, even though it's dumb. ;P
> 
> Edit: Heheheh, this ain't a little series no more, past me.  
> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!  
> Feedback is welcome in every way shape and form! :D


	2. After The Second Trial

 

The aftermath of the second trial left Makoto's head spinning, he wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. 

The body count had risen once again and Makoto could feel his hands tremble with uncertainty. He stood outside Byakuya's dorm room, torn between two objectives. He wanted to go inside and ask him again _why the hell_ he messed with Chihiro's body like that, even though finding that out would likely result in feeling even worse. At the same time, he wanted to just forget about it for a little while, and make good on what Byakuya said after the last trial.

He recalled the words, ‘I... guess I don't mind.’

Makoto wanted to unwind, to just be comfortable in this awful place. Last time was actually surprisingly nice, albeit he didn’t even realize the exact person he was hugging at first. He took a deep breath and tried to steady his nerves, bunching up the hem of his hoodie with his fingers. He released his grip along with troubled sigh and rang the doorbell. He could hear his heart thudding in his ears as every second passed without the door opening.

After what felt like over five minutes but likely was only one, the door cracked open till he could see a bespectacled face on the other side. There was a split second when the blue eyes behind glass frames widened a fraction in recognition, though soon after the blonde resumed his usual cold stare.

Makoto could understand why he was a little alarmed at first.

The brunette was sure he looked like a mess, hair everywhere in all directions, his expression sour at best, tears edging the corners of his tired eyes. The boy on the other side of the door said nothing as he looked Makoto over. Makoto wasn't entirely sure why he was staring so intensely, but he assumed that Byakuya may have thought he was hiding a weapon or something. He sighed and emptied his pockets to show he didn't have anything dangerous on him.

The door still didn't open and Byakuya's eyes narrowed from behind the door.

'Why are you here?'

His voice cut through all the meandering thoughts in Makoto's head.

'It pains me to have to ask, but I do not understand. Shouldn't you be scuttling off and pretending to be friends with everyone else? Surely you're not so stupid as to think I did what I did for a better reason than for entertainment? If so, then you are wrong. Painfully wrong.'

Makoto clenched his teeth and his eyes fell to the floor. Well, the first part of what he'd wanted had been answered. Byakuya really just was trying to make it more “ _interesting_ ”...

Another sigh escaped Makoto's lips as he tried to formulate his response.

'W-Well, you did make the trial have more twists and turns. T-That doesn't mean I thought it was more fun, but I guess it was more intriguing, though upsetting. Anyway, the actual reason I'm here is t-to... uh'

Makoto paused. It was a sudden realisation, the fact of how awkward it would be to ask **Byakuya Togami** for a _hug_. Maybe he should have realised that earlier... He forgot that he technically didn't even ask last time.

But, Byakuya was really nice about it last time, and he said he was okay with it. He'd found it quite kind of Byakuya to not just push him away. It gave him hope that the blonde was capable of opening up to him. If he could get through to the heir, maybe he would trust the others more and wouldn't antagonise them as much.

He doubted that Byakuya would really change much in the end, but Makoto wanted to provide a different perspective at least. Perhaps his method of getting closer to the blonde was a little literal, but it was an opening no matter how you saw it. Even if nothing changed, Makoto would be able to calm down and let his regrets and anguishes from the trial settle.

But would Byakuya allow it? Was he even capable of empathy? So far, he'd been quite detached from the happenings. He had only ever been shaken by the fact that he hadn't known something important to the case of Chihiro’s death, the truth that the programmer was a boy.

He wasn't shaken that anyone had died in the first place, unlike Makoto.

_B-But I mean, he let me **hug** him! That's gotta mean something, right?_

All Makoto could do was try.

As Makoto was stumbling over his words, attempting to figure out what exactly to say, Byakuya's face became suddenly very perplexed. He believed that he had found the reason as to why the lucky student was at his door. That possible reason only furthered the heir’s confusion.

Was Makoto actually here for what he thought he was here for?

_Why?!_

He tampered with a body! Why would you seek comfort from someone who messed with the case?! Someone who unabashedly said he could and likely _would_ kill someone. Was Makoto really _that_ stupid outside of trials?

_ Does he  _ _** want  ** _ _ to die?! _

'...Are you seriously going to ask me to ... **hug** you?'

Byakuya was so baffled by this, that the voice that came from his throat didn't even sound like him, it sounded lost. He was sure his face was expressing that just as much.

Makoto at least had the decency to look embarrassed, but that only confirmed his suspicion. Now, what should he do? He said he was okay with it, but he honestly didn't expect it to ever happen again anyway.

_That may have been because he didn't want to think about it in the first place._

The memory of Makoto rushing into the library and wrapping his arms around Byakuya was brought to the front of his mind, unbidden. Makoto pressed into him, clutching at his back almost desperately, the sound of crying that filled the room. The faint smile he'd almost given and the warmth covering his cheeks as the lucky student smiled back at the heir and left the room.

A slight tinge of pink coloured his ears and he scowled as he opened the door.

'Fine, come in.'

He supposed it wouldn't be too much of a bother. The same smile from the last time adorned Makoto’s features as he stepped into the dorm room and Byakuya wanted to cringe at himself for thinking for even a moment that it was “ _ cute'' _ . The moment he closed the door and turned back to the other boy, arms slid around his neck and a head of brown hair found its way just under his chin.

It caught him by surprise, but the tension released very quickly and he carefully raised his arms to wrap around Makoto’s waist loosely. The act of reciprocating the hug was strange, he wasn't entirely sure what the point of it was. Last time, standing there unmoving seemed to have worked just fine. With his arms encircling the lucky student, he felt the other boy start to tremble.

Byakuya could tell he was trying not to cry. He couldn't help but think about how sensitive this idiot must be to cry over everyone’s death as if he loved and cared for all of them, even though he'd only known them for upwards of a week or two?

But still, his arms tightened, pulling said idiot closer and rubbing his back slowly in soothing motions. It happened without him really thinking about it. A small sniffle made itself heard as Makoto's head pressed into the hug as much as it could .

Byakuya wondered if this moron would cry if he died.

He could feel his face contort into contentedness, releasing a pleased sigh. He allowed himself to rest his head upon the one beneath him - his expression completely unseen by the lucky student holding onto him - because he knew the answer to that.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy,
> 
> Decided to make this a ongoing thing, obviously, because I assume you read it if you got to this bit. :P  
> Updates will probably be a little random, but I hope to get at least the next four parts done by the middle/end of August. I'll post them as I get them done. 
> 
> I may also add bits in between the trials if I think it would work, so it may be more than six parts. :D
> 
> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!  
> Feedback is welcome in every way shape and form! :D


	3. After The Third Trial, part 1

 

Byakuya could say that he enjoyed most of the third trial.

It turned out to be quite entertaining to watch Makoto work his way to the killer. However, toward the end, seeing Celeste desperately defend herself for such a long time made him almost pity her sad excuses. It was hard to be entertained when the culprit was pretty much just shouting threats and denials across the room at Makoto. At some point in the duration of the trial, perhaps around the first threat spoken, a cold feeling settled at the base of his stomach, reaching up his spine in occasional shivers.

At the time, something about how Celeste latched onto Makoto’s arguments - tearing any holes she could, the brunette retaliating by proving her wrong till there was nothing left she could say - had left him with the same kind of feeling as watching a car crash. He couldn't stop watching her bend over backwards to combat the lucky student cornering her. The carefully placed mask and accent fell away, leaving an anguished girl in place of the refined person she had shown the rest of the students.

Many questions had sprung to Byakuya’s mind during and after viewing the gambler’s reaction to losing the game and he intended to mull them over as he walked back to his dorm. There was something else brewing beneath, he could feel it but he paid no mind to it. It was likely less important than pondering what first came to mind.

What would happen in a trial where Byakuya had killed someone? _If_ he ended up getting caught, **key word being if** , what would he do? Would he so completely lose his cool? Would he break further than Celeste, and just lose his mind along with the game?

** Would he even accept defeat at the lucky student’s reasoning? **

A cold sweat built up on his forehead as he briskly made his way to the dorms. The feeling was only dim, barely recognised in light of the endless stream of thoughts barraging his mind.

_ If Makoto was the victim, it wouldn't matter then... _

He paused in the hallway, the cold feeling soon recognised as fear. Was he afraid of Makoto? That was  _ ridiculous  _ . The brunette could barely walk without falling over his own feet, it’s not as if he was a capable killer. Then why did Byakuya feel so anxious? He ran through ideas, all the while feeling himself get goosebumps from the chilly air of the hall.

It was strange how disconnected he was from his emotions. How he could feel them but not understand where they came from. He supposed it was only natural considering how he was raised. Putting everything in the back of his mind served his purpose well.

But, to feel this utter discomfort now of all times and not know why was very disconcerting.

‘H-Hey, what’re you doing?’

The tall blonde almost jumped out of his skin at the sudden interruption, turning around to find the source of the voice. Byakuya was going to give a signature Stare Glare™ to his disruptor but found his resolve turning to butter once he saw him. Makoto stood there, looking a little worse for wear, though more confused than any other emotion right now.

Byakuya sighed, he didn’t want to answer, he had been thinking about something probably important and wanted to catch his train of thought before it left him forever. His mouth moved nonetheless and responded out of a strange sense of obligation. The heir answered the lucky student monotonously, blandly making it as obvious as possible that he wished to be left alone.

‘ I am standing in the hallway.’

‘ Y-Yeah, but why in front of my door?’

Byakuya’s head snapped to the side in alarm.  _ What? _

Oh.

The blonde crossed his arms and looked away in spite. His eyes darted around the room, doing his best not to make eye contact.

‘Tch, I am not here for you, I can assure you of that. I was... merely lost in thought. Shouldn’t you already be inside anyway?’

‘Kyoko just wanted to talk to me about something...H-Hey, why are you trembling? Are you okay?’

Makoto didn’t seem as though he was lying about his concern, it was plain as day on his features. Byakuya ignored Makoto's worry in favour of inspecting his hands and sure enough, they were shaking. Only now could he feel the quaking of his shoulders.  _ How annoying  _ .

The blonde grit his teeth and flashed a sharp stare in the lucky student's direction, wavering only slightly.

‘ I don't need your pity, I'm just cold. There is no need for you to worry about me.  _ I don't want you to _ .’ A subtle smirk coated his features as he delivered his next sentence.

‘Perhaps you should worry more that I'll kill one of your precious friends instead.’

When the blonde finished, Makoto froze. He couldn't believe Byakuya would say that  _ now. _

_ Does he even care at all that more of our friends  _ _** just  ** _ _ died?  _

It was obvious that something had shaken him, whether the blonde realised the cause or not. Even so, the lucky student found this statement abhorrent and cruel. Byakuya was insensitive and lacked the tact of someone like Makoto. In times like this, it was hard for Makoto to see the blonde as anything other than an absolute prick. It made it extremely difficult to want to find common ground with someone who'd respond to being asked ‘Are you okay?’ with a petulant comeback and threatening someone's life.

Any other time, Makoto would have likely cowered away from the heir’s harsh words, hoping that Byakuya wouldn't do anything rash. But right now, Makoto’s timid smile fell. A cold fire lit up his insides and exploded.

‘Just shut up with that! If you were going to do it, you'd have done it by now! We’ve been given more than enough motives! Even if you killed someone, _I'd figure out that it was you_! It'd be a waste of effort, effort that you should be turning on the mastermind, not us! Why do you have to be so difficult?!’

Makoto took a breath, released. Clenched and unclenched fists, steadily watched the shocked look on the heir's face. Byakuya clearly hadn't expected to be yelled at, his expression resembling that of someone who had just been slapped. Makoto lowered his voice, feeling bad about it, and continued.

‘I was just asking if you needed help… Is it really so hard to admit that the trial affected you? Watching Celeste go down in flames? It's okay to feel that way...This whole situation is terrifying.’

Byakuya would have rolled his eyes halfway through Makoto’s speech, instead, they widened in shock. The fear from before came lurching back at the words _'I'd figure out it was you!',_ leaving him terrified at having his fear found and confirmed. Attempting to escape the situation, he hurried to his room across the hall. A hand clasped around his arm before he could make it to safety, pulling him to face the lucky student.

‘So, are you okay?’

Makoto’s worry fell over him in waves, the hand sliding down his arm to hold his wrist, giving a little squeeze to pry an answer without repeating the question. Byakuya remained silent, but his stomach was turning as though he was nervous, panicked.

_ Byakuya Togami is never nervous, _

_ ...but... _

His eyes cast to the ground, wanting to forget the truth he’d just found. He wanted to forget it, _kill it,_ _ **burn it,**_ _ **bury it**_ , whatever he could do to make it not what he thought it was. He surely couldn’t have a _fear_ like this?

There was no way he couldn't win the game.

** Right? **

His face betrayed his dismay but Byakuya didn’t care, he tugged his arm away frantically, but Makoto didn’t let go.

‘H-Hey! I know something’s wrong! I want to help you… l-like you did for me.’ Makoto was determined, the blonde would give him that, but Byakuya only wanted to leave as soon as possible.

‘Byakuya please, just-’

‘No, let me go!’

‘Calm down, I promise it’ll be okay, like last time! C’mon, follow me.’

Before Byakuya was able to reject the offer again, Makoto opened up his dorm room with his free hand and pulled the blonde into his room. The words ‘ _Like last time’_ bounced around in the heir’s head. He didn’t want to admit that he wanted that.

 _I have to_ _ **win**_ _this game._

The overwhelming feeling of nausea and fear crawled all over him like bugs and worms, leaving him terrified, stuck in place staring at the floor.

Makoto could sense the discomfort emanating from the blonde, it was practically an aura. Heavy concern painted over the lucky student's features. _Why was Byakuya so upset?_ The blonde likely wouldn't give away what was making him feel this way, so Makoto decided he'd have to do some deduction. It likely was something in the trial... though it seemed to get to its worst only after Makoto started trying to get him to talk about it.

_ Did I make him feel worse?  _ Feeling bad about it, he gently pulled the blonde over to the bed to sit down.

An idea came to mind and made Makoto flush a little. It was something he used to do with his sister when they were kids, and it always made both of them feel better. _Cuddling to sleep was comforting, right?_ He’d have to check out the secret room Kyoko found later. This was Makoto's chance to actually help the blonde instead of vice versa. Makoto faintly smiled.

Byakuya went with little resistance, resigned to the awful bittersweet feeling. He could tell what Makoto wanted to do, and wondered whether this was for his benefit or the brunette’s… It didn’t matter anyway. It was at the same time a welcome comfort and a knife in his throat. It was hard to know what to feel. He fell back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. The lucky student climbed on the bed after removing his shoes and settled close to Byakuya, both of them barely fitting on the width of the single bed.

Warmth encased Byakuya in the form of Makoto’s arms. The brunette’s head and body rested mostly on top of him, soothing and at the same time, burning. A spiteful smile graced the blonde’s lips, but he reciprocated with his arms, albeit lukewarmly. It was nice but did nothing to help Byakuya escape from the thoughts he so badly wanted to bid away.

...Perhaps that was good?

...

He remembered thinking it was strange how disconnected he was from his emotions. Maybe if he confronted them, it would help? Maybe he’d at least understand.

Did Makoto plan to force him to think about it?

...

Probably not...he likely wasn’t being that specific on purpose, but Byakuya knew Makoto certainly was trying his best to help. The stupid idiotic moron was only capable of kindness, even if it was cruel to be kind in this situation; not that he’d know of course. The fear and nausea scratching up his intestines and lodging itself inside his lungs were caused by a single little fact. This one little thing would affect his performance in trials and his ability to win the game.

Byakuya found it quite unfair. He didn’t ask for this. It muddled up everything. He now knew why he’d felt this way at the trial, and later when he’d felt it at his own thoughts, and then the confirmation of this fear by the brunette. He knew now.

He was afraid of Makoto Naegi. _And it_ _ **was**_ _ridiculous._

Specifically, he was afraid of being exposed as a killer by said lucky student. This was not a good position to be in. Byakuya had been sure still, even after the first and second trial, that he could beat Makoto. Now, he wasn't so sure, and that was what scared him.

And even now, he didn't know what to do about it. The arms wrapped around his neck and the head pressed into his torso made it difficult to decide on an answer. The motion of the lucky student breathing slowly, calmly.

There was a clear cut solution, but…

Relaxing while planning the death of the boy in his arms made his stomach turn. He shouldn't do that here, Makoto clearly trusted him. The question of why that mattered would have to wait another day, as he shifted further into the embrace, tightening his arms to pull the lucky student closer. A smile was present near the side of his neck, feeling it rather than seeing. A hand that he didn’t even notice he’d placed on Makoto’s head, scratching light patterns. The brunette sighed happily and snuggled in a little more.

Byakuya's lips upturned at the sides, copying the expression of the one below him, a heavy breath escaping him as if letting something go.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hallo,
> 
> Updates will continue, I may be a little slower than I thought though. Gotta study :P  
> I'll still try to adhere to what I wrote in last chapter's notes, but nothing's set in stone.
> 
> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!  
> Feedback is welcome in every way shape and form! :D


	4. After The Third Trial, part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To kill an egg or not to kill an egg.

 

The first thing that went through Byakuya’s mind when waking up was;  _ where are my glasses?  _ He didn’t remember taking them off last night. The room was blurry and exceedingly bland to look at, but he sat up on the bed and looked around for his glasses.

It was before the morning announcement. He knew that instantly because he'd already started setting an alarm earlier than it. Not that the alarm actually woke him this time, he likely woke up at this time out of habit. His body clock had likely adjusted to it. If he was going to be forced to stay here then he would not allow Monokuma to control the time he woke up. He’d at least retain that choice.

He finally spotted the outline of his glasses slightly further from where he would usually put them on the bedside table. He took them and slid them onto his nose. After glancing around a second time with much better eyesight, there was a second thing he noticed suddenly.

There was a severe lack of lucky student attached to him.

A lack of lucky student in the room at all.

Why was Makoto gone?

The feeling that flared up from thinking that statement worried him. It was akin to the fear from last night, but… more potent. Determined to figure that out later, he unlocked the door from the inside and left the room immediately.

What happened to Makoto? Why did he wake without his glasses on? He clearly remembered not removing them. Did Makoto leave in the night and take off Byakuya's glasses for him? If so, why? Why did he even leave?  _ Was he okay? _

The questions swirled around in his head unanswered as he passed the dining hall, laundry and bathhouse, ducking his head inside to scan each room briefly. Finding nothing, he then made his way through to the school. He passed the store and the AV room, gazing into the windows on the doors as he did. As he approached the gym hallway he saw something up ahead, on the ground.

_ Oh god. _

He bolted down the hallway. His spiralling thoughts thrown out the window in favour of one single concern.

_ Was Makoto dead? _

It gripped him with a similar intensity to last night, but this fear was real, playing out in front of him.

Wait, this was fear? Oh, then that also meant one thing.

_ He didn't want Makoto to die. _

At least, not like this in the middle of a hallway. He was sure he could come up with an interesting way to painlessly kill someone. He didn't think Makoto deserved a painful death at all. If anything, a naive one would have been best.

He couldn't explain it but, he saw no reason for the brunette to suffer in his last moments.

He paused on his way to Makoto's body. The lucky student lay on the floor by the staircase. There wasn't any blood he could see, but that didn't mean the brunette wasn't dead.

What if he wasn't dead? Should Byakuya help him? Should Byakuya kill him? If Byakuya didn't take the opportunity now, he may never have an opening as easy as this ever again. And doing it while Makoto was unconscious would mean that Makoto wouldn't even know. It'd be the best way to kill him.

...But if he wasn't dead right now, did Byakuya even want to kill him? He came here out of worry, not malice. He didn't even bring a weapon.

Even now, he could feel his heart sink at the thought of the body ahead of him being lifeless.

He took steps closer, each one slowing his pace, almost preferring not to know if Makoto was alive or dead. The brunette may be the ultimate lucky student, but there was still a chance he could die. Byakuya wasn't sure how much time had passed by the time he reached the side of Makoto, leaning down to put his fingers to the boy's neck.

A pulse.

Definitely a strong one.

A wave of relief crashed into the heir and he couldn't believe he had considered planning for this idiot’s death, not even a day ago. But then again, maybe he never wanted him dead. Maybe Byakuya was lying to himself like he usually did.

However, this was also problematic. It made him hesitate, he recoiled his hand and stood up above the boy on the ground a little longer, contemplating the course of action to take. On one hand, he didn't want to kill Makoto and on the other, he wanted to win this game.

One option would cancel out the other. If he kept Makoto alive as best as he could, he'd never win, and if he won the game, Makoto would die whether it was Byakuya directly killing him or not.

Though he wasn't even confident he could win if he let Makoto live through the trial. In that case, it would a total waste anyway.

While amidst his thoughts, a hand weakly closed around his ankle. He froze at the contact as he glanced to the eyes opening below him. Makoto looked tired and hazy but still smiled when he tilted his head up and saw Byakuya. Afterwards, the brunette winced in pain. Byakuya stared as he continued questioning in his head what to do.

‘A l-lil help?’ Makoto's voice was muffled and the words hard to hear. Nonetheless, the words silenced Byakuya's thoughts.

It was decided for now. He'd help now, but that didn't mean he would later.

The heir knelt down to assist the other into a sitting position against the wall. In doing so, a prominent bump on the back of Makoto's head was noticed and Byakuya cringed at its size. He would have to ask what happened and why later, but right now getting Makoto to the nurse’s office or his dorm room was probably the best idea. Byakuya helped the lucky student to his feet, placed one of Makoto's arms around his neck and held the boy's waist, steadying him as they walked to the nurse's office. The heir let Makoto lean on him as much he needed.

Byakuya couldn't believe he was doing this. Helping  _ Makoto _ .

The concept shouldn't have been surprising. He'd been helping him “emotionally” all this time already. It was different somehow to the other times, it had more stakes. Even so, he knew exactly why he was and yet, he just couldn't fully understand how quickly his mind had been made. Did Makoto find a way to manipulate him? Maybe it was all an act, like Celeste? He didn't really know if he could trust Makoto, did he? When did he start trusting Makoto? After the first trial? ... _The first hug?_

His rising anxiety must have been resonant because the brunette placed his free hand atop the hand around his waist, giving a squeeze of reassurance. It simultaneously made the heir feel better and worry more about his trust in Makoto.

They reached the nurse’s office eventually and the heir awkwardly let Makoto sit down on one of the beds. He then pulled the brunettes head closer so he could inspect the wound, he was surprised that the entire bump wasn't a bruised purple by now.

After fumbling around in a way that was very similar to panicking, Byakuya found he wasn't entirely sure what else to do. He didn't know how to check for a concussion or other bad things associated with head injuries. He cursed himself for not reading about this sort of thing at the library… But, doing that would imply he was willing to use that knowledge to help someone.

He shook his head out of habit... Maybe he could ask questions to ensure Makoto's mental facilities weren't out of order?

‘I'm going to ask you some questions, do try to keep up.’

The boy on the bed nodded, giving a slight gasp at the pain. Byakuya swallowed before asking, ‘How many fingers am I holding up?’

‘Two’ Correct.

‘What is your name and talent?’

Makoto paused, then answered, ‘Makoto Naegi, ultimate lucky student.’ Correct.

‘Where are we?’

‘The nurse's office in Hope’s Peak.’ Correct.

‘Who am I?’

‘Byakuya Togami.’ Correct.

Hearing his full name spoken was strange, but Makoto answered everything correctly. So the head trauma must not be that bad then? A sigh of relief fell into the air, and silence remained afterwards. Could he ask what happened now? Would Makoto answer?

‘Makoto, what happened?’ He tilted the lucky student’s head up so he was forced to look Byakuya in the eye. The motion seemed to surprise the injured boy but when the question finally registered, he went from pained and glad to pained and apologetic. Makoto stuttered uncontrollably and the heir really wanted to roll his eyes.

The blonde continued speaking when it became clear that Makoto didn't know where to start.

‘ I already know some of the sequences of events. We fell asleep, then you woke up at an unknown time and likely took my glasses off because you thought they were uncomfortable or something. Then, you left the room for reasons unknown and appeared later in the hallway outside, injured and alone.

If you could fill in the reason you left and where you went, and also any other details, I'd… appreciate it.’

He didn't mean to make it sound like he cared so much. He really didn't. But, from the way Makoto beamed at him, he had a feeling Makoto noticed it too. He was going to deny it, but the lucky student began speaking before he had the chance.

‘I left around 4 in the morning because I went to… I hope Kyoko doesn't kill me for this.’ The words made Byakuya alarmed and alert before he realized that Makoto was chuckling, it was a joke. He crossed his arms tightly and allowed Makoto to continue.

Makoto took a deep breath; then suddenly shut his eyes and scrunched up his eyebrows in pain, a hurt sound falling from his mouth. He reached for his head and touched there as if it would help the pain. It didn't, but he still looked up resiliently, to find that Byakuya was standing on the other side of the room going through the medical cabinet quickly.

Makoto smiled through the pain. He'd actually gotten through the blonde's wall! Byakuya definitely cared and that made Makoto so so happy! Maybe soon he'd join the rest of them at breakfast and maybe Makoto could even hug the taller any time and not just after trials!

Was it just him or was Byakuya prettier today?

His thoughts were mostly ridiculous, but Makoto had a feeling that that was because of the head injury. He tried to stabilize his mind, not really paying attention to the more outrageous things passing through his head. He still had to find a way to explain what happened to Byakuya. The giddy feeling of really having the trust of the heir almost cut through the pounding in his head, almost.

Byakuya returned with a small bottle of likely some sort of pain medication.

‘The pills in this are for general pain and headaches, though the dosage seems a little too high, I'd recommend cutting one in half and taking only half with a meal.’ Byakuya spoke as if he knew was he was talking about.

…

_ Byakuya did not know what he was talking about. _

He was literally just remembering his trips to various doctors over his life and regurgitating relevant things they had said. He'd taken a medicine for headaches when he was younger. He thought that medication looked similar to the one he got from the cabinet. He assumed it'd have a hopefully similar effect on pain from a head injury. In case his advice was faulty, he chose the drug that seemed to be fairly passive. It wouldn't do too much to help the pain… but he hoped it'd be enough.

‘It's okay Byakuya, I'll take one in a sec, let me explain first.’ Makoto assured, ‘Okay, y’know how Kyoko was gone for most of the third trial’s investigation? Well, she had actually found a secret room. She told me about this after the trial, and I was going to go see it but as I was glancing around, I saw you first outside my door. You know what happened from there. Well, not all of it… obviously.’

Byakuya remained silent, waiting for the rest of the story. So far, it was strange but believable. He could definitely see someone making a secret room in this school. The question though, was who made it? The school or the mastermind? He crossed his arms again in thought, listening to Makoto ramble on.

‘After we fell asleep, I woke up because I was feeling a bit restless and I remembered the room. So, I left after taking off your glasses. Sorry about that… it did look quite uncomfortable…’

Byakuya smiled smugly at being correct in his assumption.

‘So, then I left the room and headed for the secret room. By the way, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to tell you where it is? Kyoko can be a little weird with stuff like that and I'd rather not betray her trust. I’ll ask her later if it's okay if you know. Anyway, I got to the secret room and found all these papers and stuff on a shelf. I read like maybe two things before someone must've come up behind me and hit me with something. From there I think I blacked out?’

Now, the heir was not pleased. Who could have done that? The mastermind? The traitor? He felt his eyes narrow at the wound on Makoto's head. He thought that someone had tried and failed miserably to kill the brunette. But if his assailant was only trying to keep him away from something important, what was so important? One of the papers? He was about to ask this question, but Makoto continued without pause.

‘When I woke up, the papers and folders in the room were all gone, everything was gone. Obviously my head hurt like hell, but I still made it out of there and then I kinda fell down the stairs more than walked down them…’

Makoto stopped and looked as if he were gathering thoughts.

‘Then, uhm I guess I passed out on the floor by the hall to the gym.’

Byakuya wanted to overlook the gap in statements, but Makoto definitely wasn't telling him something, though he supposed it was better than outright lying about it.

‘ Makoto, what happened after you got down the stairs, before you fell unconscious?’ He asked the question quickly, cutting straight to the point. A small gasp left Makoto, whether that was the pain, the question asked or a combination of both, Byakuya didn't know.

He however, did know that he didn't like the way Makoto's eyes pleaded him to drop it. And so, he glared in response. Makoto flicked his eyes to the ground and sighed.

‘Look, I can't really tell you. It's not that I don't trust you, I'm just not sure if what I saw is really the whole truth. I want to confirm this first and then I swear I'll tell you. I'll tell everyone.’

This answer was annoying, but Byakuya understood the issue. Witnessing something that pointed to certain conclusions could be damning and may end up leaving you blind to other possibilities. Confirming what you saw was always a good idea.

But still, this whole story was worrying. Worrying because he could actually find himself believing it and also worrying due to the content of it. Does that mean that if Makoto turned around at the right time, he'd have seen the mastermind or the traitor? Or would he have seen Kyoko, who also knew about the room? Was Kyoko the traitor?

Byakuya couldn't be sure, there wasn't any evidence that really pointed to anyone yet. He looked down at the boy sitting on the bed.

...Could he be the traitor?

It seemed stupid, but he couldn't help but want to doubt the lucky student. He wanted to so badly. If Makoto was the traitor, he could write off all the emotions that attached themselves to the brunette. He could kill without guilt or regret.

But he knew that wasn't possible. Why would the mastermind hurt their own subordinate? That would be a pretty idiotic move. Plus, the fact that the papers went missing after Makoto went inside is a little suspicious; and it sort of pointed to Makoto. But, why would the mastermind want the traitor to seem suspicious? That would only make it more difficult for the traitor to gain intel on the group.

Byakuya didn't think Makoto was the traitor. Though, he could be wrong and so, allowed himself to entertain the doubting thoughts. It was only natural to doubt Makoto and from disproving the doubt, he could then try to believe.

He frowned at the sappy thoughts intruding on his thinking space.

‘Fine, confirm it quickly. I want to know as soon as possible.’ Byakuya was about to turn and leave the room, but he looked back over his shoulder. Makoto was likely still in no state to move around by himself. The blonde sighed and made his way back to the lucky student.

‘Do you want to return to your room? I can help you there, i-if, if you'd like.’

_ Byakuya Togami does not  _ _** stutter. ** _

His internal cringe made it to the outside, crawling over his face and Makoto was nodding, smiling that dumb smile, _and_ _Byakuya had the urge to leave him here._ Sadly for Byakuya, he dimly began to realize he was in too deep. He gently raised the boy from the bed and allowed Makoto to lean on him again. Byakuya ducked under the brunette’s arm to assist him, and he started slowly walking them to the door.

 

* * *

  
  


After he brought Makoto to his room, Byakuya promptly left him there in favour of returning to his own room. Not out of annoyance or spite or anything like that. He was tired - even though it was morning - and really needed to think things through. He was being too kind, too easy to manipulate. Sure, he didn’t have evidence that Makoto intended to do anything with his power over him. It’s not as though he would know until the inevitable betrayal.

_ But, Makoto is like, actually nice. _

** But ** , Byakuya didn’t know that for sure.

He didn’t entirely know what he wanted to be able to believe, because his natural skepticism kept him from fully believing in  _ anyone  _ he’d ever met his whole life. He knew people were greedy and incapable of true altruism. There was always an ulterior motive because people were also selfish. He wasn’t exempt from this by any means, but he acknowledged it. Therefore, he found it impossible to truly trust others.

So, what was Makoto trying to gain and why did he want to trust Makoto?

There were no easy answers for the first thing, and he didn’t quite feel like pulling the pin on the second one just yet. He didn’t really know what to do from here. And that was a scary conclusion to come to since he was Byakuya Togami, he whose destiny was to win.

For the first time, it felt silly to think of himself like that.

_ What did Makoto do to me? _

He sighed and let his back hit the door behind him. Okay, what did he want and not want right now? Once he cleared that up, hopefully an answer concerning the next course of action would be waiting for him.

He wanted to win, wanted to kill the mastermind, wanted to trust Makoto and kind of wanted to be around him, despite him being kind of dumb.

He didn’t want to get caught in a class trial, didn’t want Makoto to die (at least not in an awful way) and didn’t want to trust anyone (excluding Makoto?).

The only thing he could actually choose without losing something else was ‘killing the mastermind’, which _everyone_ wanted to do. Wanting to win meant losing Makoto, as he’d already thought about before. The situation was clearer, but he was no closer to an answer.

Should he trust Makoto or not? He knew he wanted to do both, his gut pulling in two directions. He guessed he’d have to wait for the impasse to end, to see which won out. He’d have to watch and see which was better.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoi,
> 
> I wrote much faster than I expected, probably because I've been home sick with a cold for a while :P  
> Hopefully there aren't too many mistakes and and it flows alright :P
> 
> I didn't research the medicine stuff because I figured that Byakuya wouldn't really know either, I mean he's been reading mystery novels, not textbooks.
> 
> Also, I know this chapter doesn't technically contain hugs, and I apologize sincerely for any disappointment :P  
> Poor Byakuya is just trying to figure out that he doesn't want to kill the egg, it must be very difficult.
> 
> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!  
> Feedback is welcome in every way, shape and form! :D


	5. After The Fourth Trial, part 1

Byakuya was surprised to see the answer to his question so quickly. Even more surprised that he found it at a class trial.

But, the answer itself hadn’t been what he expected.

Sakura's death didn’t leave Byakuya upset or sad; it’s not like he cared about her, she was the traitor. However, the reason she died had made a mess of a few things in his head that usually remained spotless. She muddled up the certainties he stood behind: People were selfish. People never did things for others altruistically, as there was always something to be gained from it. An ulterior motive.

He knew, because he was one of these people.

_Then why did she die for us? She was the traitor...Why would she do that?_

It was like someone cut a cord in his brain, and suddenly empathy was a foreign but reachable emotion. It left him feeling confused and uncomfortable. He felt bad that someone like her had to die, and knowing it was mostly his fault… But if she hadn’t died, he would have never understood how he was wrong about people. If he was wrong once, maybe the rest of them weren’t too bad either. Perhaps the lucky student's optimism was getting to him but he knew he no longer wanted the death of anyone here. He no longer desired to win the game that way. Whether that was because the game had become unfair or because he feared everyone else dying, _mostly Makoto_ , he was uncertain.

It was likely a mix of both.

That class trial ended up pretty much debasing his entire view of the world. He was mostly able to hide how much the result of the trial shook him, but he caught some of the worried glances Makoto sent his way as they all retreated from the trial ground. Though Byakuya caught the sentiment, he left before an intervention could be held.

Since his entire philosophy had been called into question, his next course of action would require some more thought. He decided to put that off for now, not to avoid forever, but because he was tired and wanted to start with easier topics.

He’d started to fall into patterns when thinking about his emotions and how they reacted to ideas and events that occurred, slowly becoming more used to letting himself sift through the reasons for each one. When reminded of how he used to handle feelings, he could admit he missed the ease with which he handled the daily life here. Putting everything into a bottle, ignoring it and _leaving it there to die,_ was a very easy way to live.

But, it left him cold and unopened to entertaining new possibilities.

His previous view came from the experiences he had, and he understood the reason why he had that view, but it had never lent into allowing himself to be happy. He supposed he should thank Makoto for making him realize, but he also knew that Makoto likely wouldn’t even know what he was talking about. Having to explain it would be a pain, he’d have to find some other way to express his feelings on the matter to the brunette. He sighed, reaching up to push his glasses further on his face, before plunging back into deep thought.

His logic from a mere three or four weeks ago came from immeasurable pride and immovable self-assurance. He had believed he could never be wrong, he had believed that people weren’t ever self-sacrificing without the want for compensation and he had believed that the only way to end the killing game would be to win it. However, those beliefs had been proven to be incorrect.

He’d been proven wrong, multiple times. This time could have even cost him his life. _Makoto’s life too._

As he reflected over the wall of thoughts from his position lying down in bed, it became apparent that the lucky student was a constant in his recent discoveries.

It was almost as if that idiot was the catalyst for this bout of self-discovery.

Wait.

His thoughts ceased for a moment, then proceeded with backtracking over everything. Makoto was intertwined with most, if not all of the revelations he had had over the past weeks.

Him from two weeks ago would have scoffed or maybe rolled his eyes. Him from maybe two days ago would have frozen in place with terror.

But, at this point, the only thing he could really do with this information was just roll with it. He’d already felt a stupid attachment to the lucky student since way before now. And anyway, it wasn’t too far of a stretch to attribute his recent developments to being in the vicinity of Makoto. As much as it annoyed him to admit, the brunette had a very easygoing vibe to him, and that made it easy to let him in.

Though, how far this attachment stretched had yet to be discovered. He had a feeling that he shouldn’t be surprised if it extended further than he wanted, because that was how things just seemed to be turning out for him. His luck had definitely waned, not that luck had ever been a particularly huge part of his life.

Despite that, it didn’t necessarily worry him because Makoto had turned out to be exactly as he seemed: kind, caring and honest, and a little too trusting of others.

A part of Byakuya wanted to tell the idiot that he had his trust. A small smile formed on his lips at the idea of seeing Makoto bumble awkwardly around the conversation after that, before giving a similar sentiment. The image put Makoto’s face a little too close to his own and made him question his own mind for a moment. He shook his head, his cheeks warming. The urge to go see the lucky student had tangled in his mind and he was having a hard time disagreeing with that feeling.

The ring of the doorbell had him running to answer.

Anticipation clouded his judgement as he opened the door with a swift movement. The person on the other side hadn’t expected that, their hand remained close to the doorbell, ready to press it again.

Makoto jumped when the door was ripped open, his poor heart just about stopping in his chest from the shock alone. He’d had enough surprises for today. Finding Sakura, figuring out Asahina’s plan to get everyone killed and finding out at the end it wasn’t at all what Sakura had intended. All this had definitely taken its toll. Even with the hopeful feelings at the very end of the trial, he was tired. By now, all he wanted was a hug, maybe a kind exchange, and then some sleep.

However, what greeted him at the door was not just Byakuya, but Byakuya with _bed hair_.

“ _Pffft_ ”

The sound escaped his mouth too fast for him to quench it, and soon he was lightly giggling at the blonde. Said blonde did not look impressed, but his words didn’t communicate any immediate dismissal of Makoto.

“What is it that you want?”

He made no move to fix the strand of hair resembling Makoto’s ahoge, so Makoto had a feeling he hadn’t noticed. _Holy shit this is adorable._ Makoto couldn’t help but grin as he gestured to Byakuya’s hair, watching the heir to the Togami Corporation reach a hand up and freeze in the realization that his hair was out of place. The Byakuya ahoge didn’t live very long, but it was certainly sealed in the brunette’s memory. He took the opportunity to enter the blonde’s room while he was busy fixing his hair.

“I’m here for the usual” Makoto grinned, still amused.

Once finished with his hair, Byakuya responded, smirking at the brunette’s inevitable reaction.

“What, crying in my arms?”

“S-Shut up! That didn’t happen last time!”

The smirk fell at the reminder.

Makoto was right. Last time, Byakuya was the one who was worried, though likely for different reasons than Makoto would ever consider. And the brunette stuck by him, refusing to let him spend the night alone, refusing to let him bottle up his feelings, making him think about it instead of avoiding it. The same Makoto who stopped him from making the wrong choice at the last trial, technically saving his life due to that.

If everyone had listened to Byakuya, _all of them would be dead right now._

A ‘thank you’ ended up getting stuck in Byakuya’s throat. His unsureness surrounded the ability to express his gratitude, consuming the words before they could leave his mouth. His gaze shifted to the ground.

A silence enveloped the room.

Makoto expected another smug remark, so the sudden quietness was worrying. Concern crossed over his face as he inspected the blonde, trying to get a read on him. From what he could tell, he seemed… tense… perhaps conflicted? Was he alright?

He noticed at the trial that the heir was quite shaken, he seemed almost afraid of the idea that Sakura had actually killed herself for the sake of everyone else. Makoto could understand why, The blonde obviously didn’t want to accept that people weren’t as untrustworthy as they seemed.

_...But that’s also wrong._

Byakuya had been letting Makoto in this whole time, so did he trust Makoto? He knew that the blonde at least cared for his well-being, going out of his way to help Makoto in the hallway just a few days ago. Even knowing that was enough to feel a warm pride in his chest, a happy little feeling he couldn’t explain as just joy.

Byakuya looked up from the floor, crossing his arms in his usual manner and looking Makoto in the eye. Makoto had learned already that this was like a visual representation of a mental wall forming. Sure, sometimes it likely also represented his arrogance and smugness, but right now, Makoto was sure there was a storm going on behind his blank expression. Makoto prepared a statement-

Byakuya let out a heavy exhale, arms unfurled and eye contact was lost.

“Makoto, I…”

The brunette waited, patient as a saint. He slowly stepped closer to Byakuya, to ensure the words were heard if muttered or mumbled. He stood about half a metre to a metre away, ready to receive whatever was coming, watching in curiosity, in eagerness to hear what the blonde had to say.

When blue eyes raised from the floor once more, the look in them broke Makoto’s heart a little. So scared, so unsure, _so fearful._ He leaned in to hug the heir, to try to reassure him that it was okay.

“Makoto, I-I trust you.”

A rush of elation filled the shorter of the two and an urge was acted upon before thought had fully processed it. He pulled the blonde closer.

This was not going how Byakuya imagined. _Why in the hell was he so meek?_ Why couldn’t he just **say the bloody words clearly** ? It shouldn’t have been this hard. Still, a now familiar feeling was curling and sitting down heavily in his gut. _Why was he so nervous!?_

Why was he behaving like a schoolgirl confessing her love? It’s not like that’s what this wa-

That’s what went through his mind just as Makoto pulled his shirt collar down, resulting in his head coming down with it. _And resulting in our lips colliding._

Comprehension was suspended in the moment of pure insanity, along with movement, and understanding. Byakuya stood still, eyes wide, trying to piece together exactly what just happened.

It was strange.

It wasn’t particularly amazing.

...Though, it wasn’t bad either.

Meanwhile, Makoto was in a similar state of mind, his body locked in place with eyes shut tight, face flushed.

The kiss ended up not really being a kiss. It was just the two of them standing there with their lips pressed together, not entirely sure what to do about this sudden development.

Byakuya was the first to lean back, though not very far as he assessed the situation, eyes darting over Makoto’s face. A hand was gripping the front of his shirt, keeping him close. He dimly felt it, but any thought concerning something as dull as the state of his shirt was immediately thrown away.

Makoto slowly opened his eyes to find a curious sea of blue staring back. A thought briefly crossed his mind, that this look was much better than the fear that looked like it was eating Byakuya alive, but...

He opened his mouth to give an apology, a statement meant to repair the unease he felt he caused.

The statement was silenced by a swift capturing of his lips. The taller wasted no time in leading the kiss, taking it methodical, soft and deliberate, coaxing Makoto into responding. The lucky student couldn’t believe this was happening. He found himself swept up in the feeling, forgetting his former apprehension. It was definitely a step up from the first one, but Byakuya’s glasses were a little annoying, sometimes pressing against Makoto’s face in an unpleasant way. Other than that, it felt like Byakuya had done this before, which kinda left the brunette in the dirt.

Makoto had no experience with this sort of thing. He tried his best to imitate the blonde, somehow easily falling into place, responding to Byakuya in kind. It remained a sweet feeling, not too fast or overeager.

To Byakuya, this was more of a test at first. He was testing the waters, seeing how he felt about doing this, but as he wrapped his arms around the shorter teen, it certainly felt like more than just that. This wasn’t the kind of response to his admission he’d imagined, but this was okay.

This was okay.

He smiled a little as he pulled away, watching Makoto lean forward into him as if chasing his lips. Makoto’s hands had ended up bunched in his blazer and shirt, tugging at him. Green eyes blinked open on a pink face and looked up at him. One of Byakuya’s hands left the brunette’s waist to remove his glasses, tossing them on the bed before the hand returned to its place encasing Makoto.

“Hi” the idiot in his arms mumbled, staring up at him.

“Hi,” said the heir of the Togami Corporation holding the idiot, beaming as if he'd just won the lottery.

A smile widened across the lucky student’s features and Byakuya pulled him in for another sweet kiss.

This was better than just okay.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello,
> 
> I dun it, I finally decided on what to do with this chap.  
> This one could have gone a few routes, but I think this is best from a writing standpoint, considering the outcome of the fifth trial. Gotta chuck some more angst in ere'.
> 
> Also, this is the cutest outcome, so nyeh :P
> 
> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!  
> Feedback is welcome in every way, shape and form! :D


	6. After The Fourth Trial, part 2

A low stir of disbelief settled in Byakuya after Makoto left his room. No doubt, he was happy about the outcome of the encounter, though that was only one of the emotions racing through his head _ . _

The disbelief likely only stuck with him because what had just occurred was nothing he had ever thought about, nothing he had ever considered. Yet, he fell into it instantly, as if he couldn’t even  resist it. What followed after chasing the temptation was warm, safe and gentle arms around him, his own wrapped similarly around the other. His head leaning down over Makoto’s neck. Whispers were spoken as if to not disturb the moment. Words of encouragement from  the lucky student, soon joined by choked ‘thank you’s that just barely escaped the blonde. They remained attached to each other for a while and they talked a little; muffled sentiments and worries of the future.

The nighttime announcement came too soon and the lucky student left with a warm, albeit reluctant goodbye.

Byakuya felt his eyes water, staring at the closed door as he wondered if at that moment he was thanking Makoto or Sakura. Sakura,  whose death provided the reasoning for allowing Makoto in further. Reasoning to fully allow his outlook to change. To be able to tell Makoto that he trusted him and to be able to do _whatever they were currently doing_. They hadn’t actually confirmed their current status, but Byakuya felt that neither of them really needed to.

It was fairly obvious what Makoto’s intentions were, the boy’s emotions were always written on his face like an open book. The brunette’s eyes had gained a shine to them that Byakuya could only compare to the first time he saw the other boy, before everything had happened. It was a little different, but the joy contained inside was the same. He could also see that elation and hope combined into the brightest smile he’d ever seen.

A flicker of pride swelled in Byakuya’s chest at being able to recognise the emotions of someone like Makoto. He hoped his own expression was as enlightening to Makoto; remembering how his face had started to hurt from the strain of smiling so long, and that he continued to do it anyway.

_ ...When did I get so sappy?  _

After some mental beratement, - _choosing to ignore for now the implications of forgetting what he was originally thinking about to go on a tangent about Makoto and his_ ~~_cute_~~ _**dumb**_ _smile_ \- he promptly returned to the previous train of thought and supposed he was thanking both Sakura and Makoto, but in different ways.

He had expected himself to take much longer to reach a conclusion for that question _ . _

It didn’t take much thought at all. Maybe he was getting better at this. Glad that he wouldn’t have to spend all night thinking and reaching for answers, Byakuya got into his bed and soon fell  into an easy sleep.

 

* * *

  
  


The next morning when everyone had assembled in the dining hall, Byakuya took charge in leading the admittedly mostly kind fools and  Makoto. However, telling Toko to shut her mouth for an indefinite amount of time was nonetheless, a good choice, as it removed at least half of the insidious chatter that usually filled the room.  Now, there was only the blather of the swimmer and fortune teller, which was at least bearable. Kyoko was usually quiet anyway, though Byakuya had his suspicions about that, but was foregoing those ideas until the fifth floor was properly examined.

During his speech, he noticed that Makoto was standing much closer to him than he usually would, by his side, almost breaching  personal space. Though that made his smug smirk gained from insulting the others for fun turn into more of a sincere smile, he could feel a stare placed on him and his idiot.

Kyoko.

He bit his lip after finishing his talk, leaving the room first with Makoto in tow. Did she know? Did it matter? Was she trustworthy? Makoto seemed to think so, but Makoto was Makoto, so he  probably couldn't tell a trustworthy person from one who'd slaughtered children in front of him. Byakuya felt he was right in assuming that because Makoto _for some reason_ thought it was  best to seek out the least trustworthy person at the start of the killing game and then proceed to ask them for comfort. Makoto truly was lucky that Byakuya hadn't decided to kill him before he had the chance to rip open his wall.

The others likely hadn't noticed anything amidst their unending squabbling. Byakuya wasn't entirely sure how he felt about telling  them. On one hand, he didn't really care what they thought, it wasn't their concern in the first place. But, doing that could lead someone to target Makoto or himself in the hopes of ensnaring either of them in a trap, killing one or both. However, he trusted Makoto so he'd leave it to him. If Makoto wanted to tell them, he'd let him tell them.

Though, he would probably take measures to dissuade them from any unsavoury decisions.

 

* * *

  
  


Walking up to the fifth floor was a lot of stairs and Makoto complaining about said stairs. The old him would've walked ahead without regard for others, but he doted upon the lucky student,  waiting at the top of each floor for him patiently.

'Why doesn't this school have an elevator?' Makoto spoke breathily, and Byakuya rolled his eyes along with a light chuckle.

'Perhaps if you weren't so lazy and trained even a little, you'd have a better aerobic capacity, and your legs would have better endurance'

'Even if I knew what that meant, it's still unfair. W-What if I had a wheelchair?' Pants continued to leave the brunette's mouth, slicing up his sentences.

'You don't.' Byakuya's clear tone only accentuated his superior level of fitness, and he let himself take a little pride in being better than Makoto at something.

'What if someone had a wheelchair?'

'I understand your point, but my point still remains. You're  lazy. _'_

Makoto pouted from the stair's landing, and Byakuya walked down  the steps purposefully with a playful smile, clearly enjoying  himself. Once he reached the lucky student's level, he took his hand and gently lead him up the last flight of stairs. Releasing the hand with a squeeze first, he continued to walk ahead, though not fast enough to leave Makoto behind. He opened the doors of the first two classrooms, eyes darting around the rooms quickly before moving on to the next one.

Classroom 5-C was an abnormality.

The other floors had only classrooms A and B, so Byakuya wasn't  entirely sure if it mattered that this floor had an extra. He almost considered letting someone else check it because it was likely going to be another useless classroom. However, he still clutched the handle and pulled open the door, just in case there was something, a clue, anything.

Nothing could have prepared him for the stench that immediately assaulted his senses, the utter disarray of the entire room, the chalk outlines displaying the number of dead bodies that had  occupied the room. While he found himself eerily intrigued by the mystery of the room, disgust settled alongside that assertion.

Makoto finally reached him, having caught his breath, only to have it knocked out of him at the sight of the terrible room. Byakuya was surprised that Makoto only gasped at the state of the  room, instead of screaming. The shock was evident on his face but soon faded; left in place wide eyes and a grim frown.

Byakuya grit his teeth, since that meant Makoto was probably getting used to seeing horrible things like this.

He knew he couldn't prevent Makoto from seeing any of it, but he did believe that someone like the brunette shouldn't have to see something like this and be so quick to recover. It shouldn't have been normal.

Regardless, Byakuya stepped into the room to investigate. Crouching down to inspect the blood on the ground, the chalk outlines and the strange scratch marks. He made a few possible deductions from the state of the room. The blood was old, therefore the incident that happened in the room occurred a while ago and likely wasn’t relevant to the current killing game.

It could have been all a set up by Monokuma prepared well in advance, a fake. Or, and this was unlikely, it was caused by something other than Monokuma’s meddling.

Byakuya glanced at Makoto, who stood by the entrance, eyes wide and looking around from a distance, his face slowly turning pale. It pained Byakuya to see the shine leave his eyes once more. He made a mental note to fix that as soon as he was done here. A sigh resonated in the room as he turned away from the lucky student to finish searching the room. Other than the obvious irregularities of the room, it had little to offer in the way of clues about their current predicament. Unfortunately, the classroom only created more mysteries.

When he stood, a familiar sniffle sound came from behind him.

Without any hesitance, he headed toward the entrance of the room and pulled Makoto gently out of the room by the hand. He then stood a little awkwardly close to Makoto. At this point, he realized he’d never actually initiated a hug before.  _ It was a little embarrassing.  _ So, how did it work? Was he supposed to do the same thing Makoto did? Just kinda, lunge? Maybe he could-

The shorter of the two pulled on the heir’s sleeve, staring hopefully up at him, sadness brimming in the edges of his eyes in the form of tears. The vast melancholy within the green orbs was for  a moment, terrifying. Was this the same feeling Makoto had when he first came to him in the library that day? He never asked why the lucky student had sought out comfort the way he did after the first trial. Now was likely not the time to do so, he had to do something else.

He settled on opening his arms wide and standing there, attempting to beckon Makoto into taking the invitation. When arms wrapped around him shakily and a head of hair pressed into his chest, he exhaled, glad that the correct choice was made. In turn,  he rubbed the other’s trembling back in circles, trying to remember what he’d previously done to help the boy.

Though that resulted in being reminded how he wasn’t exactly the best at this, having barely done anything in those times. Makoto had helped him more than Byakuya had ever given back. Gotten him to work through issues he didn’t even realize he had...

Then...maybe it was the same.

Maybe Makoto did need to talk about it.

With newfound purpose, Byakuya leaned down to Makoto’s ear and listened to the sound of him crying against the blonde. Remembering the heir’s own mother when she had comforted him provided the next step to take. Whispers of praise, quiet shushes, white lies like ‘it’ll be okay’; all left the blonde’s mouth without regard for any voyeurs.

Harsh breaths slowed and his sobs began to cease. Though much time had likely passed, the heir knew he’d do this as long as it took. A small sigh came from upturned lips, holding Makoto tighter  for a moment before releasing enough to touch foreheads. It was time to ask.

‘Makoto, would you like to talk about it?’ He cursed himself for asking in such a stoic tone, but Makoto didn’t seem bothered  by it, his reddened eyes opening _._

‘U-Uhh, y-yeah, maybe it’d be good to... y-yeah’ Makoto’s voice was hoarse from all the sobbing and gasping.

‘I-It’s just that… seeing that room kinda made me confront all the awful things we’ve had to see up till this point, made me remember the friendships formed… and lost… in such terrible  ways... I-I miss them, I miss them all…’ the words came out choked with tears by the end of the statement.

‘This killing game is torture for me, because I just wanted everyone to escape together… but so many have died, killed each other, and for what!? We’re all still here! They died in a place as awful as this. Their dreams and aspirations lived and died with them.’

‘Makoto, I… don’t believe their deaths were meaningless.’ He could think clearly on a few reasons why, Sayaka’s death had given him Makoto’s outburst in the library, Chihiro’s death supplied the next encounter, Celeste’s trial had shown him fear he  couldn’t recognize, Sakura’s death gave him an answer to the question posed after the last trial. Without those deaths, as tragic as they were - _he could feel regret particularly at Chihiro’s case_ \- they had developed him into who he was now, with the help of the lucky student.

‘I know that their deaths weren’t in vain, I know that. But, if… if they hadn’t happened at all, wouldn’t that be nice?’

‘I guess so, I would have liked to be able to apologise to Chihiro, maybe play a game of Othello with Celeste, and thank Sakura in person. But, Makoto, you know that’s impossible. There’s no  use only thinking of their deaths, remember them as they were and keep them with you. Only if you ever forget them will they truly die.’

A smile faintly appeared before a serious look took over Makoto’s face.

‘Can you promise me something?’

‘Depends what it is, it better not be impossible.’

The smile returned a little as Makoto sighed.

‘C-Can you promise me you won’t kill anyone? It… It would  be so…’ Makoto trailed off and the heir could not believe his ears. He leaned back in the embrace away from the other's head, but  kept his arms around the lucky student _,_ meeting his eyes seriously.

‘Makoto, I haven’t been able to kill anyone since the third trial. Because… Because of you. If I killed someone and succeeded in surviving the trial… you’d die. I didn’t want that… So I guess I can make it official, Makoto Naegi, I promise I won’t kill anyone. Except the mastermind.'

Blue eyes narrowed slightly. 'Now you promise me.’

If Byakuya thought Makoto’s previous smiles were lovely, this one took gold _ . _

‘I promise. It's not like I would ever be able to anyway.’ a small giggle let out amidst the tears still falling down his cheeks. The brunette reached up to wipe them from his eyes.

‘What’s so funny?’ A blonde eyebrow raised.

‘I d-didn’t expect that you’d be so good at this. I’m glad, t-thank you Byakuya.’

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy,
> 
> Haha, I was going to go directly to after the fifth trial, but I kinda wanted to develop the dynamic a little better beforehand.  
> I also realized that I barely make them talk, like almost not at all in some chapters. I have no idea why o-o
> 
> I'm not entirely happy with how this turned out, but I think it's the best it'll be till I maybe edit it later in the week, idk.  
> This one kinda feels the most clusterfuck-y, so haha, sorry if it's kinda all over the place. o-o  
> I'm pumped for the next chapter though :D
> 
> Sorry no kissing or super duper romantic stuff in this chap, because I think that this probably wouldn't be the best time to do so :P
> 
> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!  
> Feedback is welcome in every way, shape and form! :D


	7. After The Fifth Trial, part 1

 

Frustrated.

Angry.

Doubtful.

Terrified.

Desperate.

Powerless.

And then numb.

A cold numbness akin to nothing he'd ever felt before. He couldn't remember how he got back to his room, how his shaking body, now in fetal position on his bed, was capable of getting away. Maybe  Hina and Toko dragged him back here with looks of pity on their faces. Maybe he was able to walk that distance before stumbling at the foot of his bed, falling onto it because he couldn't keep himself standing. Maybe he ran as fast as he could.

It didn't matter either way. Not much at all mattered at that moment. He lay cold and curled up on his bed, an empty aching feeling pooling in his chest similar to nausea, but he knew it wasn't quite the same. Nausea felt more dizzying; this feeling had a clarity to it that didn't let him escape from the dread, scraping at his insides with conviction.

Makoto would soon be dead,  _ if he wasn't already from the fall he took. _

**That** mattered.

The lucky student's execution cut sharp lines into his brain, searing into his memory the scared expression on the brunette’s face as the conveyor belt brought him closer to the crushing force  behind him.

Back in the trial, when he realised that Makoto was the only one who could have pretended to find the locker key in Kyoko’s room, a chill left him paralysed. Surely not? Surely Makoto didn't do it? He  let the accusation escape his mouth, waiting for Makoto to rebut him as he was always capable of doing. A counter never came, because Makoto didn't have one. Instead, Makoto went off about how the trial  didn't make sense. The plea in his voice so genuine that Byakuya  believed every word.

But then, time was up. They were forced to vote without discussing the strange nature of the trial. He couldn't vote for Makoto, that couldn't be right.

** Could it? **

…

… _** but Makoto promised me… ** _

… 

… _** I trust him. ** _

He voted for Kyoko because she was much more suspicious than  Makoto had ever been.

The others obviously didn't think so.

Byakuya yelled out when the result of the vote was up for everyone to see, a loud and desperate sound that the others didn't expect. He couldn't hear it anyway, the blood pumping through his  veins and the utter misery making its way up his throat had more of his attention. This was impossible. Makoto couldn't have done it, there was no way. Byakuya didn't want to believe it was true, because if so, then what? Had he been lied to this whole time? Had it been better to remain as distant as he used to be? **Was this entire charade pointless?**

 _ **No.**_ _This trial doesn't add up in the first place. This outcome must be false, which means…This wasn't fair._

Makoto was about to be dragged away, and he could only watch. He pulled his eyes away from the brunette's terrified expression for just a second to glare in absolute **hatred** at the miniguns on the ceiling, Monokuma's deadly limbs. He wanted to do something, anything, but there was no way whoever was controlling Monokuma would let him live if he tried to interfere.

Makoto was now in place. Sitting on a chair as he was brought closer to the machine slowly pounding up and down. In mere moments, the one person he had trusted in this place would be crushed to death. His heart squeezed.

Briefly, he considered interfering anyway, throwing himself to the wolves for the chance that Makoto might live. But the silent shake of the head and shaky smile of the brunette reigned in any urge he had to run to the lucky student. He dug his fingernails into the podium as he watched Makoto slowly retreat further down the line.

Byakuya could _not believe_ that Makoto killed that girl, not when even now, Makoto _was still_ trying to help him.

Being unable to do a thing but watch it happen was painful. He'd stopped yelling, just watching in dread of the final second he'd get to see Makoto alive and breathing. Eyes wide and trying his best not to blink, to attempt to keep every last moment he could. He could  hear his own laboured breathing distantly, the wetness on his face,  but none of that mattered when _Makoto was about to die_. In the corner of his eye, if he cared to look he would have seen the  panicked faces of the rest of the group as they watched their friend be brought ever closer to death.

If he had been paying attention to anything other than Makoto’s retreating figure, he may have noticed the apologetic look sent his way by a certain purple haired girl.

Then the machine stopped. The trapdoor underneath it opened, the conveyor kept going and brought Makoto to it. And so, Makoto fell. Byakuya felt relieved that he wouldn't die from Monokuma’s punishment, but hearing that he'd waste away in a garbage pit brought back the hole in his chest.

What Kyoko said, ‘Now it's the mastermind that's ensnared’, confused him greatly and only added to his mess of emotions.

After that, he could barely remember. Maybe his mind had shut down, didn't want to accept anything that just occurred as reality. That was a possible reason. It explained why, instead of a  never-ending churning of fear and confusion in his gut, a soul numbing coldness had spread throughout him, gripping him tightly.

** There was nothing he could do. **

The memories from the trial repeated over and over in his head. He clutched the bed sheets in his hands, shutting his eyes tightly.

_ Soon, Makoto would waste away down there _ .

Byakuya rolled over in bed. His shoes were still on. That didn't matter.

Makoto was going to die  ** for no reason ** . That stung, burned in his mind till it succeeded in scraping the message in his brain that he was completely powerless.

At least if Makoto had actually betrayed him, maybe he'd have been able to recover faster, maybe the emotions from before wouldn't have been so amplified, maybe it wouldn't have hurt so much to watch him go.

Maybe he would have been able to put this behind him, with enough time.

But, the realization that Makoto hadn't done it, couldn't have done it, meant that Byakuya wasn't wrong to trust him. However, the blonde was definitely wrong to think that everything would be okay because of that.

_ So very wrong. _

He could see his knuckles turning white because of how tightly he was gripping the sheets. Ripping them wouldn't make him feel better,  so he loosened his hold a little, though still clutching to them like a lifeline all the same. He let out a heavy breath.

A question surfaced in the aftermath.

What was the point in executing Makoto and not the real killer? Why even _pretend_ that Makoto could even be so heartless?

The mastermind must have had a goal.

A frown settled upon his features, obscured by the pillow pressed into his cheek. He could only picture Kyoko being able to kill Mukuro. She was the only one who could have done it. She had to be in with the mastermind… and they had Makoto killed to cover up her crime. Blunt rage hit him like a train. That had to be it.  _ He was right not to trust that  _ _** snake  ** _ _ .  _ The realisation that he was right all along wasn't a smug feeling.

It was at that moment, the doorbell rang.

The split second where he thought it may have been Makoto at the  door only made him clench his teeth. He considered staying in bed, not answering.

The doorbell rang again.

It was probably Toko, here make sure her ‘Master’ was feeling okay. Or Hina, who hadn't expected him to have such an outburst at the trial and found something of a relatable trait in him.

And _again_ it chimed.

Maybe even Hiro, though he'd likely just ask for money, thinking it might make Byakuya feel better in some strange way. If Monokuma wanted to show up and laugh in his face, he'd have done it already without waiting for him to shuffle over to the open door.

And it rang **another** time.

There was also the possibility that it was Kyoko who was ringing his doorbell at timed intervals.

Seething, he rose from the bed with a glare fixed firmly on his face. The door was in front him and being ripped open before he knew it.

She stood there, a melancholy shrouding her appearance. He wasn't prepared for the sadness in her eyes on her otherwise stoic expression. While his mind stuttered for words, Kyoko spoke gently.

‘ I know what you may think, but please calm down and listen to what I have to say. We could take a bath?’

Byakuya _so_ badly wanted to say _no_ and slam the door in her face. **But** , that's what a petulant child would have done. _He wanted to hate her._ The empty feeling began stirring into flames but only fell out of his mouth as a choked breath. The hate he could feel trying to light dark embers inside him wouldn't stay in place. It annoyed him to no end that he couldn't muster the fury to put her in her place.

Makoto trusted her. Maybe that meant something?

His glare weakened and eventually tapered off. A dejected sigh left his throat.

‘I'll hear you, but if you try to pull anything, **don't** think I won't see it.’

A small smile lit up her face, returning a little warmth to her  eyes.

‘Good, I wouldn't expect any less.’ She said before walking  toward the bathhouse.

Byakuya wasn't sure what to make of that statement, and so he didn't answer as he locked his door. As he turned around he gave a long pause to stare at Makoto's dorm, across the hall. The blonde shook his head and then took a deep breath. Now wasn't the time.

* * *

  
  


Upon stepping into the bathhouse, it became clear that the two would be alone for this meeting. This was a little unsettling, but Kyoko made no quick movements and stood a fair distance away. It was  like she was trying to seem unthreatening. Byakuya was glad for that, though it could just be more deception.

‘I'm going to cut to the chase.’ Her voice echoed lightly in the tiled room. ‘Makoto didn't kill Mukuro, and I want you to believe me when I say that I didn't do it either.’ A determination  had filled her purple eyes as she spoke.

Byakuya's eyes narrowed. ‘You're the only one other than Makoto who could have killed her.’

‘But that implies I'm with the mastermind, doesn't it? How else would I have been able to place that locker key in my room if I didn't have the dorm key? But, that doesn't work, because why would the mastermind have one of their agents kill another agent? And why make that agent place suspicion on themselves by putting incriminating evidence inside their own room? That doesn't make sense, right?’

Byakuya could reluctantly agree that his logic was quite flawed. He sighed and cast his eyes to the ground. ‘That doesn't mean I can trust you, just that you're not a traitor.’

‘Well, I actually could have placed the locker key in my room. Without help of the mastermind.’

He snapped back to stare at her.

'I assure you, I wasn't the one who placed it. After all, why would I do something as stupid as put evidence in my own room, when I had access to anyone else's?'

‘What?’

She slowly reached into her pocket, keeping eye contact the whole time, and took out what looked like a key.

‘This key can go to any door in this school. Makoto knew about it but still lied at the class trial. He trusted me, and that led to him being punished instead of me. I want to repay him for keeping that trust in me. I know how we can save him, but I need your help to do it. If you think you can't trust me, then believe in him and believe in his trust in me.’

She waited patiently for a response as the silence stretched thick across the room. Kyoko could see the internal battle being debated within the heir's eyes.

Makoto trusted her enough to lie for her? Why didn't Makoto tell him before the trial?

... _because I definitely would have outed her secret key._

And then she would be the one in Makoto's position, or dead. Makoto obviously didn't want that, otherwise, he would have told everyone the truth. Byakuya credited Makoto for his ability to know what the heir would do in advance, but it certainly made things difficult now. Should he trust her?  _ She's right about her points about how she likely isn't another traitor, though still,  _ _** I don't want to trust her.  ** _

_ But if she knows how to save Makoto, then... _

Byakuya pushed his glasses up on his nose and folded his arms in his typical manner, before looking at her with his eyebrows furrowed.

His expression was like a mix of doubt, confusion and hope all in one. ‘Okay, I'll hear your plan.’ He spoke clearly, his voice betraying his skepticism of her.

Kyoko resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his deliberate choice of words that screamed ‘ _I still only trust you as far as I can throw you’_ , and took what she could get.

‘Makoto's location is likely under the trapdoor in the  incinerator room, as Monokuma said that he would he would waste away in a “garbage pit”. You can use this key to open the trapdoor and get down there. To ensure Monokuma doesn't interfere, I'll draw him out while you get Makoto.’

‘Why wouldn't the mastermind know that I was heading down there?’

‘The mastermind can't view the camera feed while controlling Monokuma. Makoto and I tested that a day or two ago. That's why I was missing during Mukuro’s investigation, I was searching the second floor of the dorms at the time.’

Byakuya wanted to ask what exactly she found there, but that would have to wait. Saving Makoto came first. ‘Is there anything  else about this plan I should be aware of?’

Kyoko averted her eyes for a moment, brushed a strand of hair out of her face and then spoke calmly.

‘While you get Makoto back, I intend to challenge the mastermind on the outcome of the last trial. I'll talk to Monokuma and ask if we can redo the trial.’

‘Are you insane? There's no way Monokuma will agree to that.’

‘But he has to, it's all in the rules. He broke them when he punished someone who wasn't the blackened. It's my belief that the mastermind killed Mukuro, and I know we can find a way to prove that.’

‘But then you'll be dragging all of us back into a trial that more than half of us aren't even aware of. Is that fair on them? Putting their lives at risk? What about Makoto? Won't Monokuma just kill him if he's seen back here?

Kyoko smiled.

‘It's good to see that you care about everyone, but escaping here may be possible if we can beat the mastermind here and now. The mastermind clearly cares about the rules enough to have to bend around them instead of outright killing a student without provocation.’

‘Are you saying that the mastermind was trying to get Makoto killed in that trial? And they killed Mukuro just so they could hold a trial?’

‘ No, I'm saying that they were trying to kill  _ me.  _

If I died then and there, the mystery of this school would never be solved. I was close to unravelling this entire thing and because of that, the mastermind wanted me dead. Makoto probably wasn't supposed to be a second suspect in that trial. Suspicion was meant to fall on me and only me. I guess I'm lucky he was sick with a fever at the time you all went to his room to get him.’

‘Because he wouldn't have had an alibi and would have been able to take the fall for you.’ A hint of spite fell from his lips. Kyoko rubbed her arm and looked as though she were about to apologize, but she didn't; probably because she wasn't entirely sorry. Byakuya understood though, why she needed to let Makoto down.

Even if it made him angry, it made sense in her position.

‘ We're both even luckier that he isn't dead. I want to thank him and I want to make it up to him ...I also know that you would want to see him again even more than I do, so please do this.’

The words carried weight. In that moment, Byakuya believed her. She... wasn't what he thought. His grim smile faded into a genuine one. She wasn't malicious, she was trying to help her friend. She even knew about them and didn't even attempt to use their relationship against them.

_ Makoto trusted her, so I will too. _

‘Of course I’ll do it. If you think I wouldn't do anything I could to save him, then you're an absolute fool. This is very much better than lying in bed feeling sorry for myself. Your plan sounds  good so I will go along with it, and I agree that taking on the mastermind is the best course of action. You should be prepared for inordinate screeching from my stalker, though.’

A light chuckle came from the purple eyed girl and she came closer to pass the key over to him.

‘Here. Take it. If Makoto trusts you, then I will too.’

Reaching out to take the key, a thought crossed the heir's mind. After taking the skeleton key, he dug into his pocket to find something.

Kyoko paused and seemed confused for a moment but soon smiled and waited. When Byakuya took his hand from his pocket, he held out Kyoko’s dorm room key. She took it from him gracefully, a thank you spoken shortly after. The blonde nodded and Kyoko started to leave the room, turning back for a moment at the doors.

‘By the way, I've remembered what I am. The Ultimate Detective.’

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there!
> 
> Sorry that this took like two weeks to do!  
> It's entirely my fault, but I was really really busy with school/work (both).
> 
> Edit 15/09/18: Reworked a little part near the end, might lead into the next chapter better now :P
> 
> I'm also replaying Danganronpa V3 with my family, so yeah. That game is real long.  
> As a side note I'm also making a cosplay of Kaede, so that's fun! :P
> 
> I'll try to get the next chapter out this week. But no promises because keeping them is super hard sometimes! :P
> 
> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!  
> Feedback is welcome in every way, shape and form! :D


	8. After The Fifth Trial, part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy!
> 
> Somewhat Important Thing!!:  
> Before you read this chapter, it may be good to read the last part of chapter 7 again, as I have changed it a little.  
> I think it flows better into this chapter now, but it doesn't make too huge a difference I guess...

 

Clutching the key tightly, Byakuya decided to wait a few minutes before leaving the bathhouse. If Kyoko was to draw away Monokuma, she'd likely need some time to do so. After she completed her side of the plan, Byakuya could then initiate his part without the mastermind's knowledge.

From the entrance, he glanced outside the bathhouse cautiously, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose whilst doing so. After ensuring no one was outside, he quickly made his way down the brightly lit hallway, taking a right at the end of it. It didn't take long to reach the trash room, and for that Byakuya was glad. The quicker he was about this, the less likely it was for the mastermind to be able to stop him.

He opened the door and closed it carefully behind him, making sure not to make any loud noise that could alert someone. The heir then took in the surroundings of the trash room, there was the incinerator in the far back, the gate blocking entrance to it, the buttons that would open and close the gate and require the trash room key to use.

And, the locked trap door in front of the closed gate.

Opening the gate would be a waste of time, so Byakuya hurriedly kneeled down to unlock the trapdoor. His hands reached to pull it open and sat back on his knees to prevent himself from falling in. The small door opened with ease and didn't make the horrible creaking sound he had expected.

...looking down into the dark abyss was what was horrible.

The ladder was sleek and metallic, he hoped it wasn't slippery. Biting down his apprehension, he slid himself down into the hole, holding onto the ladder tightly with one hand, hooking his feet in as best as he could. He closed the trapdoor behind him and released a shaky breath in the complete darkness.

_ This is not fun. _

That was only one among many of the thoughts streaming through his mind as he slowly made his way down the ladder. Climbing up ladders had always felt easier for the blonde, but when going down them, it was a completely different story.

Going down a ladder implied not being able to see a thing that he was doing, which meant it was impossible to know what exactly was underneath him. Looking down would likely be a death sentence, so the blonde just slowly made his way down the ladder.

He'd carefully reach his foot down on each rung, trying to find the next place to put it, worrying at each one whether he'd lose grip and fall the rest of the way. There was likely nothing to break his fall down there.

_ If I fall, I'll  _ _** die. ** _

He paused. Safe on the current rung, his hands cramped from holding on so tightly. His heart was beating fast and his breathing had sped up. He could hear both of them loud in his ears like the blaring of an alarm, only making him clutch the ladder closer to him.

The cramped space of the tunnel did nothing to soothe him, and the low light made it hard to see how far down he'd even gone. The trapdoor could be a long distance up or even just ten metres, time had meshed into itself as adrenaline forced him into a panic.

Gasping.

_ I need to calm down. _

Throat closing up.

_ Right now. _

** Hyperventilating. **

Trying to control his breathing, he inhaled in through his nose and exhaled through his mouth. He tried to regain his courage, to remember why he was here.

** Makoto. **

_** I'm here to save him. ** _

_** He needs me. ** _

With a determination previously forgotten in favour of giving in to fear, he clenched his teeth and shut his eyes to the tunnel. Making use of only his shaky hands and feet, he cautiously made his way deeper down the ladder. He could feel his hands trembling with every rung he lowered, the terror of dying in this stupid tunnel now converging with his desire to _see Makoto_ _ **alive**_ _._

Getting down the ladder would hit two birds with one stone; getting out this awful tunnel alive and also seeing Makoto again.

_ Sounds good. _

Despite his situation, a snort resounded in the tunnel and for a while, he felt okay as he descended. It was going to be alright.

His foot touched the ground.

It came as almost a shock at first, but then he left his foot there, resting tentatively as if the floor could give way at any moment. He added a little pressure as a small test, and his suspicions were put to rest when the ground didn’t crumble beneath him. Opening his eyes revealed very little till he let go of the ladder and turned around. His hands twitched from pain and from his hands being used to conforming to the shape of the ladder.

Behind him, the silhouette of a large set of double doors stood in front of him, light was spilling through the keyhole and the cracks of it, contrasting against the darkness of the cramped room. He took a deep breath and stepped forward, hand extended to push the door open.

Makoto would be just beyond here.

Was he okay? It hadn’t been too long since the trial had ended, but he was probably hungry. Byakuya cursed himself for not thinking to bring nourishment. The fall he took was probably quite far if the ladder was anything to go by.

** What if he died in the fall? **

_ What. _

The thought had crawled into his mind before he could even attempt to stop it. The heir’s hand fell to rest on the door, a tension building in his shoulders. Staring blankly ahead, he remembered the time he found Makoto on the ground by the gym. This was like then. A 50/50 chance of Makoto being alive or dead.

Opening the door would reveal the result, and Byakuya wasn’t sure he could do this again, especially after everything that had happened since then. He felt his fingers slip from the door, his arm dropping to rest by his side in dejection.

Before Makoto, he strutted around smugly and confidently like a peacock showing off. Now, the newfound self-awareness had introduced an anxiety about every course of action. He couldn’t just walk through the doors boldly and know that everything would be okay, just because he was  _ Byakuya Togami.  _ He could admit he missed that.

Last time by the gym; he was lucky. Makoto had only received a minor head injury.

_ This time, Makoto may not be so lucky. _

Walking into this room only to find a mangled corpse of the boy he admired, respected and cared about would be… Well, it would be horrible. Awful.

_...but Makoto wouldn’t want me to think like this...I haven’t even tried to open the door yet... _

There was still a chance that he was fine, or even just simply injured. A broken arm or leg may be hard to treat in an environment like this, but it was better than being  ** dead ** . Gathering his nerves, he took the key from his pocket once more. The blonde turned the key in the lock with a click and felt his worries stockpile with every inch the door opened.

The room within gave no immediate clue to the wellbeing of the lucky student. Apprehension was scraping at the heir’s mind, providing _every little detail_ of what could have gone **wrong** . Byakuya took some cautious steps forward, down the stairs, trying not to listen to the darker - _perhaps more realistic? I can admit that,_ _ **but...**_ \- parts of his mind. The room was large, filled with absolute trash. The smell probably would have gotten to him more if he didn’t have more pressing concerns.

** If Makoto is dead in here, it’ll take a while to find him. **

_ Shut up. _

_ ...I’ll find him. _

He scoured the area from the stairs, trying to spot the boy of whom he’d grown so attached. Searching from left to right, squinting over the piles of trash, eventually resorting to walking down the stairs for a closer look.

By now, his mind was silent, only waiting for the confirmation of either possible outcome. His pace wasn’t quick to begin with, but he only slowed since starting to walk around the trash room. His response to this situation coldly reminded himself of how he’d reacted to finding Makoto on the floor. He almost hadn’t wanted to know whether the lucky student was dead or alive.

** Now is no different. **

_ No, it’s not. _

_ I want to know. _

He halted his movement, glancing around from the centre of the room, turning a full 360 degrees.

Wait.

_ Makoto. _

Snapping his head to the point where he could make out the figure of the lucky student, he ran to him without a second thought. Makoto was on the far right of the room, lying on the ground. When he managed to get to the boy, he kneeled down by him.  _ Is he breathing? _

Makoto didn’t have any visible broken bones or injuries. He was curled up on his side;  _ cuddling himself for warmth?  _ Makoto looked almost… comfortable. He could see the steady rise and fall of the brunette’s chest as he breathed, making all the worries fall from the front of Byakuya’s mind.  _ He’s sleeping.  _ The heir could feel his shoulders loosen, free from the tension they had been suffering. A sigh of heavy relief left him as he knelt by the lucky student.

_ Makoto is  _ _** alive. ** _

Gently touching his shoulder, he shook him by a fraction. As much as it pained the blonde to wake him, now was not really the best time for sleep. Hazy green eyes opened accompanied by a small groan of annoyance, and Byakuya could only smile in fondness.

‘Hey, you should stop worrying me like this. It's unbecoming.’

‘What!?’ Makoto lurched upwards with a gasp at the sound of Byakuya’s voice.

‘How’re you here!? Did Monokuma try to kill you? Are you alright!?’ The never-ending concern for others made a chuckle fall from the heir. Why was Makoto like this? So kind, selfless even.

‘I’m here to get you out of here. I didn’t bring food, in case you’re wondering. That was a mistake on my part. This plan was Kyoko’s, and we may or may not be taking on the mastermind in a short while. So, we should probably get a move on and get out of this awful trash room.’ The heir stood up and extended a hand for the lucky student to grasp. Makoto took it shakily and cast his eyes downward as he stood.

‘B-But, but I… why are you here? ...I thought you’d hate me after that last trial, even if it wasn’t true. I know Monokuma said I did it, but, but I didn’t kill Mukuro! I promised you, and I didn’t go back on it. Not that I’d even want to kill anyone here anyway, but that’s besides the poi-’

‘Shut up. I know. I know you wouldn’t do that. Don’t worry about it. I was far more concerned about you, anyway.’ Tugging on their linked hands caused Makoto to fall into Byakuya’s chest and the heir held him tight. His arms snaked around the shorter’s waist and pulled the lucky student close enough to rest his head above the other’s.

Makoto did not expect this. This was the inverse operation of the current expectation. The expectation, of course, had been dying a horrible death at the hands of a maniacal robotic bear. After the punishment had failed to kill him, the expectation had shifted to attempting to survive on the trash left in this room, and soon after that, to starving to death down here.

But, this was definitely better in every way, shape and form. Snuggling into Byakuya, a smile graced his face. He tilted his head up and rose on his toes just enough to press a small kiss to the heir’s cheek, a small gesture of thanks. Makoto responded in kind to the hug, hoping Byakuya could feel the gratitude sent his way. As they remained close to each other, Makoto asked a question.

‘So, what do you mean by taking on the mastermind?’

Byakuya stilled for a moment, as if remembering that he had more to deal with than just hugging Makoto close.

‘Kyoko intends to challenge the mastermind on the outcome of the last trial. We’re hoping that while I retrieve you, she can convince Monokuma to let you live, as you shouldn’t have been punished in the first place. She wants to prove that the last trial was bullshit, and in doing so, prove that the mastermind is the one who murdered Mukuro’

‘Uhh, t-that sounds really reckless and dangerous, but I guess it could work? We should probably get out of here soon then, since we’ll probably need time to investigate.’

A sigh came from the heir, and the lucky student could feel it as much as hear it. He pressed an ear close to the centre of Byakuya’s chest. His heart was beating fast; Makoto wondered if in response to fear or Makoto himself. Leaning a little out of the hug, he raised his hands up to cup the taller’s face.

‘It’ll be okay, Byakuya…’ Makoto didn’t want to add the words “I promise” at the end, because he wasn’t really that sure. He hoped that was enough for now as he stared up into blue eyes.

‘I know we have to investigate, but I don’t really want to climb that ladder again.’

‘...Ah, what?’

‘...You’ll see.’

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoi,
> 
> Tis a little late, but it's here!
> 
> I went back and fixed some things in earlier chaps, nothing has really changed other than wording or maybe slight dialogue changes. The only change I recommend viewing would be chapter 7.  
> I'm hoping to fix some of the mistakes I spotted in later chapters too (entire words are missing, how did I miss that? o-o), but I am a bit pressed for time lately. I'll do that eventually! :D
> 
> Small rant about this entire story (not just this chapter):  
> I didn't really expect this to end up as kind of plot related as it is, (It was originally supposed to be unmitigated floof, so idk what happened man).  
> Though, I'm really happy that people like it! I definitely want to write more longer stories like this.  
> I'll finish this first, obviously! :D
> 
> Edit 24/09/18: Apologies for not having the next chapter ready, but it should be done by maybe Wednesday or Thursday. Sorry for the wait! :P
> 
> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!  
> Feedback is welcome, good or bad! :D


	9. Before The Sixth Trial, part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little tentative, as I'm not completely happy with it. There is a possibility of this chapter being changed dramatically.
> 
> I just wanted to get something out because I've been suffering from writers block for too long and I'm tired of it.

Kyoko was waiting for the boys as they reached the top of the ladder, helping them get out one after the other. Makoto was the first one out, then Byakuya. Byakua was quite grateful for Makoto  _being alive_ , but also the fact that going up the ladder with Makoto was much, _much_ better than going down it alone in the dark.

Brushing himself off, he looked to Kyoko for the outcome of her talk with Monokuma. Her eyes shifted to the space directly behind the two boys. A cold shiver of realisation fell across their backs, turning to face the thing behind them. A shrill and cheerful voice pierced through the quiet.

'Well well well! It looks like the lover boys are alive and kicking! Missy here had a little proposition for me, and you're very...'

Monokuma stared directly at Makoto, ' **very...** ', he lowered his voice to a darker tone, ' _**lucky** _ , that I agreed.'

Makoto felt Byakuya squeeze his hand at that. The three students remained silent while Monokuma resumed speaking, none of them eager to interact with the murderous bear.

'Awwwh! You're holding hands! 'Betchu that our adoring audience is enjoying, no, **loving** your little teenage emotion fuelled stint! Ohhh and the _despair_ they'll feel when it inevitably **falls apart**! Anyway! You probably all want to hear the rules of this next trial, as you're probably getting impatient, huh, Kyoko? Making you wait while the lover boys get their act together and get their stupid butts back up here!? _Shameful_ , absolutely shameful.'

Monokuma went quiet as if expecting them to laugh. They didn't.

'Alright alright! _Sheesh_! In this next trial, I want you to uncover the truth of the last trial, and also! ...drumroll Makoto, please.'

Monokuma probably wouldn't say a thing until he did what he said. Looking around at the others to find only exasperated expressions pointed at the bear, Makoto reluctantly removed his hand from Byakuya's and started patting his knees quickly. He stopped at an appropriate amount of drumrolling.

'Haha! And _also_ , you need to solve **all** the mysteries of the school!' Monokuma's signature laugh followed the declaration.

'And how exactly do you expect us to do that?' Byakuya pointed out, 'We can't even access some of the most important rooms right now.'

'Oh Mr. Togami, ever the one to cut to the chase! Of course I'll give you a fair game! All those doors will be unlocked, _just to at least give you all a chance_ . Fair well! Boodbye! You'll have about the same time to investigate as a normal trial. _Soooooooo_ ! Get _**CRACKING** _!' Monokuma yelled and then swiftly disappeared from the room.

Kyoko tapped the boys on the shoulder, signalling to for them turn around and listen to her. She crossed her arms and began to speak, quickly detailing what she thought best to do next.

'Makoto, you should investigate the data centre. Byakuya, the headmaster's room. After you two finish up in those rooms, both of you go to the bio lab. I'll go tell everyone else about the situation, and then I'll be headed to the garden, after that I'll be on the second floor of the dorms, as I have something I need to clear up there. Once you're done your investigation, come help me search the second floor of the dorms. Okay?'

Byakuya took the words in and nodded, knowing that they probably had very little time. While he wanted to spend more time with Makoto, since only a few hours ago he was comatose while thinking about the lucky student's horrible death, he knew they'd have to split up to cover more ground.

Though, they could still walk to the fourth floor together anyway. He was grateful for the bio lab part of Kyoko's plan of action, as that would give him and Makoto some more time alone before the trial. Investigating with Makoto here would be very different than in the second investigation. Byakuya wouldn't just be pulling him around on a promise of information. They'd have to find clues together.

'What about everyone else? Shouldn't they also investigate?' Makoto asked.

'I assume they will, once I tell them what's going on.' She sighed before looking him directly in the eyes. 'While they are usually quite kind people... mostly, they haven't proven to be very useful in investigating, so I'd rather them ready to face what's up ahead instead of getting in the way of us.' Kyoko answered stoically, logically. Makoto frowned, but knew her assertions weren't incorrect, so he reluctantly agreed.

Byakuya chuckled but said nothing. Kyoko nodded and gave Makoto a small smile before leaving the room. The heir took hold of the brunette's hand again, interlocking their fingers. When the lucky student raised an eyebrow, he spoke.

'The headmaster's office and data centre are on the same floor, so we may as well go together.' Byakuya smirked at the brunette before leading the way at a brisk pace.

 

* * *

 

The ascent of the stairs was tiring Makoto out, but he resigned to keep going after Byakuya, who was at least 20 paces ahead. His legs burned by the time he reached the third floor, and would only get worse on the way up to the fourth. Byakuya would often look over his shoulder to make sure Makoto was still following, and still _there_ , but he was quite eager to investigate the rooms.

'Hey, uh, Byakuya?'

The blonde turned around swiftly and cocked his head to the side, staring back at Makoto with his arms crossed.

'Yes?'

'You can go on ahead if you want. I'm just slowing you down, we can meet up at the stairs to the fifth floor when we're both done. Does that sound good?' Still catching his breath a little, his sentence was interspersed with a few small gasps for air.

Byakuya frowned, pushing his glasses up. Makoto saw one of his hands form a fist, tightly clenching. The heir's eyes got a strange look in them as he turned his back to Makoto and let out a sigh.

' _Fine_ , I suppose that would save time on my behalf, thank you, Makoto.' Byakuya's voice came out stilted, like it was grating against his throat. The brunette wasn't sure what to make of it, but the heir was already walking further down the corridor to the fourth set of stairs.

_Did I say something wrong just now?_

Makoto shook it off, they could work it out later at the lab. Ensure that no misunderstandings were to be had. He walked at his own usual pace again, feeling his legs recuperate slowly with gratitude.

By the time he reached the data centre, Byakuya was long gone. Briefly, Makoto wondered what he was worried about right now. Also, what would he find in the headmaster's office? Makoto's curiosity was piqued, but there probably wouldn't be enough time for him to check as well. He'd just have to trust Byakuya to find any important clues, which wasn't exactly hard.

The Togami heir was reliable and the brunette wanted him to think Makoto was as well. He opened the data centre door tentatively, and glanced inside.

'Hey Makoto!'

The sudden words and unfamiliar arms crushing him from behind was certainly unexpected. Once his assailant must have realised he couldn't speak due to his windpipe being a _tad_ crushed, he was released without hesitation. Makoto dropped to the floor, gasping.

'Oh my god! Sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm just glad you're not dead. So, it turns out you didn't kill Mukuro then?' Hina was fast talker and Makoto was just trying to breathe, so most of her words fell on deaf ears. The shorter of the two used the wall to stand up, and finally got to see who exactly he was talking to.

By now, Hina was going off about something Hiro had done and Makoto couldn't help but smile.

'Hina, we should probably investigate this room, you can tell me all about Hiro once we're done.'

'Yeah! That's why I'm up here, Kyoko told us all about her deal with Monokuma and I'm all for it! I remembered a room up here that was locked inside the data centre, so I thought I'd check it out!' Her eyes shone with enthusiasm and Makoto envied her ability to say that all on one breath, but she was literally a swimmer, so it made sense.

'Cool, then do you want to investigate together for now?'

'Totally!'

The data centre was as dark, just as dark as it was when they found out the killing game was being broadcasted. Byakuya had given him a pointed stare after that revelation, worry also in the depths of his blue eyes. The brunette later had pulled him close to whisper 'Well, at least we didn't do anything more than kiss'. The heir had blushed so cutely at that.

The memory made him chuckle.

Hina sent a glance his way and Makoto just smiled, receiving a faint one back from the swimmer. They made their way to the back of the room filled to the brim with monitors flickering. Makoto paused only for a moment to try to find Byakuya on the monitors. His darted across each one, and eventually found him staring at a piece of paper that was hard to make out from the angle of the video feed.

'Makoto? I've been meaning to ask you something...' Hina smiled as she walked toward the Monokuma door.

'Uh, what did you wanna ask?' Tearing his attention from the heir on the screen, Makoto glanced around the room in case anything was missed the last time they were here and soon made his way toward Hina.

Hina bit her lip and scrunched up her face in thought as she turned toward him, her hair swaying with the motion behind her.

'Well, it's just that... How do you do it? You're so awkward and clumsy sometimes, and also kind... and yet you've saved everyone's lives here so many times. And I... I haven't done much of anything... I haven't been very useful to you guys.' A frown spread across her face, her eyes lowering to the floor. She continued before Makoto could airily say it was 'okay'.

'I know it's not something I should really be worrying about, now of all times, but I... I want to be helpful to you, Kyoko and Byakuya. I know you guys are the ones who shoulder most of the investigating and figuring out the mysteries, and I want to be able to do that in this last trial. I want to help you guys out.' Her features lifted into a grin by the end of her little speech, a small sparkle back in her eyes. While Makoto was figuring out what he wanted to say, she pushed open the Monokuma door and held it open for him with determination.

'Hina... Of course you can help out. If you want, after this, you can head to the garden. That's where Kyoko is, I'm sure you can help her. You should tell her how you feel and maybe she can get you started on how she does it. I'm not very good at explaining things, so she'd probably be the best bet, as she is the Ultimate Detective.' He entered through the door, nodding to the swimmer as he passed as thanks.

'Really!? That makes sense! Thanks, Makoto... I guess we should probably focus on this weird room now though.'

The tiny room was wall to wall with blue lights, buttons and a large monitor at the back. The lucky student stood in front of the main console, peering over the various labels on the buttons.

'This place sure has a lot of buttons.' Hina said, staring in wonder at all the lights as she explored the room.

Makoto could definitely agree. Seeing a button labelled 'Data Centre', got Makoto interested. Why was it labelled that? Would it cause something to happen in there? The questions spun around in his mind, eventually pushing him to press the button and step out of the room.

'I'll be back in a second, I just want to check something.' Makoto said, as he left.

'Hey, did you find something?' The swimmer called, the door shutting behind Makoto.

...

'Hey, did you find something?' was repeated back to him in a different, though familiar voice.

Makoto's eyes widened and he sharply turned to where the voice came from. Sure enough, the monochromatic bear was standing there, doing nothing.

_Wait a sec..._

'Hina!? Say something from inside that room!' He called out to her so he could confirm his suspicions.

'What!?' The swimmer yelled back, her voice coming through the door.

The same word also screeched from the Monokuma standing in the room with the lucky student. Makoto raised a hand to his chin, smiling in understanding.

 

* * *

 

Byakuya entered the Headmaster's office, unsure exactly what he would find there. Though, what he did find was somewhat underwhelming. The room's furniture was mostly in order, but the amount of documents scattered across the place was rather perturbing.

As he carefully analysed the room, he made a few deductions. Whoever made the mess couldn't be the headmaster. If they were, the state of the room wouldn't make any sense, as they would know exactly where everything in the room is. There would be no reason to search so frantically.

The mess also indicated that whoever was here was in a hurry, or that they didn't expect to have to worry about the room being seen like this. The first option pointed toward Kyoko, the second toward the mastermind. The detective came here and found the skeleton key not so long ago, she may have left the mess behind in her hurry to find clues.

There was also the chance of the room having been already like this, he'd have to ask her later. If the room had already been searched, then most likely answer would be that the mastermind was trying to find something, but other theories still lingered in his head.

He made his way over to the headmaster's desk, appreciating the craftsmanship for a moment before focusing his attention toward the blue book centred on the desk. Narrowing his eyes, he swiftly picked it up and began to read.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha, I've been dead for like two months.
> 
> So, yeah, sorry about the lackluster chapter after so long. I just wasn't really sure where to take this for the last trial. I was kinda tossing between skipping to after the sixth trial and actually going through the investigation. I might change this chapter, cuz I'm not really that happy with it. 
> 
> Hopefully I'll have either some more ideas to shove into this chapter or just like, the next chapter soon :P


	10. Before The Sixth Trial, part 2

After finishing up with his investigation of the headmaster’s office, Byakuya sharply made his way down the hallway to the stairs that lead to the fifth floor. From the distance, he could see that Makoto wasn't there yet, so he supposed he'd end up having to wait for him. The thought of Makoto lead him to falter slightly in his step, but he managed to correct himself.

Due to the investigation taking up all of his thinking space, he hadn't yet thought too hard about his unpleasant interaction with Makoto earlier. The boy likely hadn't meant anything by it… but being told to go on ahead without him, had made the blonde unreasonably annoyed.

Byakuya knew it was selfish to feel that way. He knew that wanting to keep the brunette close for as long as he could probably wasn't entirely necessary, but he'd thought Makoto would have a little more tact than that he had shown.

Only about an hour ago, it was fair to assume that Makoto was dead.

He’d truly thought he would never see the idiot ever again. The memory of the cold sinking feeling in his chest was almost of enough to bring it back, a deep misery that only increased with every minute he'd believed Makoto was **gone.** He balled his hands into fists in an attempt to stop his hands from shaking, taking a breath in and then slowly releasing it. He'd done a good job not showing Makoto exactly how hard that had affected him, but the truth remained.

_I'm still terrified of losing him._

He reached the stairs, slowing his pace down to a stop. The heir opted to stare at the ground rather than the hallway which the lucky student was likely to come down. This was stupid. He shouldn't be so worried. Makoto was fine, if anything, maybe he was a bit hungry. He certainly got more sleep than Byakuya did anyway.

He was certain he had bags under his eyes, but it seemed no one had noticed or no one was really looking, as this investigation was far more important. The blonde knew his feelings would have to be dealt with later, now was not the time to have a heart to heart. If he wasted a few precious moments explaining himself to Makoto, it was possible that they'd miss something relevant to the mystery.

As far as clues went, Byakuya was still wondering about the class roll he'd found, and a particular student’s profile within. Mukuro; who exactly was she? How had they not noticed that she'd been in the school the whole time? Prior to being found dead, of course. Who was she to the mastermind? She must have been part of the mastermind’s scheme somehow, because why else wouldn't she be a part of the killing game’s participants?

The safer thoughts brought his anxieties down and he let his hands rest more casually, crossing them over each other as he leant against a wall. Soon he found himself lost in thought, pondering the theories he'd concocted during the time he had waiting for the lucky student.

And soon enough, the theories led way back into thought of emotion. He grit his teeth.

 

* * *

 

Leaving Hina to do whatever investigating she wanted in the data centre, Makoto waved as he exited and headed to the next staircase. She'd probably finish up soon and join Kyoko upstairs in the garden. Hopefully, the detective wouldn't mind…

He shook his head, now wasn't the time to worry about that.

He picked up his pace and soon he could see Byakuya waiting for him ahead. A smile graced his features at the sight of him, though the heir did seem somewhat troubled. He'd assumed he would be noticed as he approached, but Byakuya must have been really deep in thought. Makoto stood barely a meter away, and Byakuya hadn't noticed at all. Biting his lip, the lucky student reached out to tap him on the shoulder, worried that something Byakuya found had made him this unresponsive.

The blonde tensed immediately, harshly flicking his eyes to the side to find the owner of the hand on his shoulder. Relief flooded his mind once Makoto’s concerned face filled his vision.

Then Makoto just _had_ to say it.

‘Hey, are you alright?’ Makoto's voice echoed a little in the empty hallway.

A sigh left Byakuya as he lightly pressed his glasses a little further up his nose. The answer to that question was most certainly **no** , but the situation called for a _yes_ , otherwise they would be wasting time. It didn't matter that Byakuya could feel his shoulders shake when Makoto left him alone. Neither did the fear that would cloud his senses; only quelled by other all-encompassing thoughts. Nor did the worry that filled the corners of his eyes till he could barely see. None of them mattered because none of them were rational. Makoto was alive.

 _He is_ **_fine_ ** _. He survived._

_What else am I supposed to tell myself?_

‘...yes, I'm just somewhat alarmed, that's all.’ Turns out lying still came fairly easy.

‘Oh, okay. You can tell me on the way.’ Makoto didn't seem to have noticed, and he began to walk up the steps. Byakuya nodded stiffly and followed at Makoto's pace, trailing behind him.

He wasn't sure whether to feel the fire of pride or a cold shame as he purposely hid himself away from the one person he was supposedly meant to be at least a little open with. It wouldn't be forever anyway, he'd let him know after this mess. Right? He trusted Makoto.

_I don't trust him to not die._

The thought came suddenly, without warning. It made him stop for a moment before carrying on with the stairs. He frowned. Maybe this wasn't about what he thought it was. Makoto was probably expecting him to start relaying information, but this wasn't a development he'd considered. The problem he had may not have been a contained idea he held inside, but one that extended to his view of Makoto himself.

This was different than just being worried about the boy; that sort of thing he definitely would just look past, but _this_ kind of issue was something he couldn't just ignore. It was an inherent flaw in his reasoning ability. He knew Makoto was alive, knew he would be fine, that everything would be fine after the trial if they won. But those pieces of logic were being combated against by his fears and worries for the boy next to him, as if his emotions hadn't yet caught up to reality. They were still wanting Byakuya to see Makoto as a dead man walking, as though he'd die any moment Byakuya's eyes left the boy.

_If I can’t trust him to not die, then exactly how much do I trust him now?_

‘Byakuya… was what you found really that bad? It's okay if you don't want to tell me till the trial, just make sure you're okay.’ The lucky student had the nerve to give him a shy smile along with the statement and now the heir only felt guilty for feeling that way. He needed to find a way to rectify this soon. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to focus in the trial.

And that could lead to a real death.

‘I’ll tell you soon’ was the answer he pushed out, and at that, it wasn’t really much of one. Makoto’s hopeful eyes turned worried for a second. Byakuya could see the boy reasoning with himself that pushing Byakuya for a better one wouldn’t be good of him. He was so open with every emotion, whether he wanted it or not. It was admirable that he didn’t even mind it. The blonde bit the inside of his cheek, trying to remind himself that that wasn’t always the better idea.

It left Makoto vulnerable.

It made him stronger, but also so very weak.

They walked up the rest of the stairs in silence, Makoto sometimes brushing hands with him in an attempt to get Byakuya to relax. A somewhat forced smile managed to make its way onto the heir’s face. He tried to soften it a tad so Makoto could hopefully stop worrying.

The fifth floor was quiet as they trekked across it, taking a turn or two to get to the bio lab and soon walking down the long hallway. The lighting was as eerie as they’d remembered the first time they’d been there. Of course, this time when Makoto put his hand on the doorknob, it moved as he gently pushed it down to gain entrance. It wasn’t locked this time.

The heir’s thoughts drifted once more to his theories and the possibility of what may have been inside the room. Makoto seemed to be doing the same thing, staring at the door as if he could learn all its secrets from just standing outside the room. Maybe he was afraid. Reaching down to place his hand atop the shorter boy’s one already on the doorknob, Byakuya stole a glance at the word written like graffiti on the door.

_RAW _

He sure hoped it didn’t mean anything more than the mastermind trying to scare them.

He pushed the door open, regardless of whether Makoto was ready or not. Heck, _Byakuya Togami_ wasn’t even ready… but, they didn’t have the time to wait in the first place. The door creaked open and he could hear Makoto’s soft gasp, feeling a little bad for ripping the control from him. He glanced at the shorter boy just for sanity’s sake, _he's not dead he's not dea-_

Once the door was fully open, that was when confusion struck.

The bio lab was cold. Why was it so cold in here? He stepped forward before Makoto managed to get his bearings. The heir crossed his arms for warmth more-so than for any show of confidence or enthusiasm. Rubbing his arms lightly to generate a little friction to keep his arms warm, Byakuya got a look at the innards of the lab. A glass cabinet was directly in front of the door, suspicious looking machines were on the right wall, a lab desk was near the centre of the room and some folded white tarps were on the ground.

He turned around for a split second to ensure the lucky student was still with him. Makoto was standing by the door looking unsure of himself. A smile formed on the heir's lips, but soon turned grim as he reminded himself of how scared the boy must really be inside.

_Monokuma could just change his mind about all this._

The cold feeling trailing through his body suddenly became more than just from the temperature of the room.

He shook his head, there was no way Monokuma would do that if he cared about the rules, _right?_ ...But Monokuma obviously didn't care about them when he tried to execute the boy. Though, the mastermind probably thought they could get away with executing the wrong person. _That person was meant to be Kyoko._ But, Monokuma still went through with trying to kill Makoto, so maybe he'd wanted _him_ dead as well.

Maybe Monokuma was as wary of Makoto as he was of Kyoko.

He remembered the look Monokuma gave the lucky student when they were being told the terms of the next trial. The bear _was not happy._

Byakuya bit his lip to regain his focus and took note of the familiar looking tarps before going on to inspect the right wall first. There were two rows of strange machines, some of the lights from them were shining a bright blue, others were off. The heir wasn’t quite sure of their significance, and so turned quickly to the table to try to find a clue that could assist him. His eyes scanned over the contents of it, finding a pamphlet resting on it innocuously. He carefully picked it up and began to read.

Amidst Byakuya's investigation, Makoto awkwardly shuffled into the room, pulling his blazer around himself. The cold caught him by surprise, but that didn't change the first thought he had upon seeing the labs’ insides. It was similar to what he'd seen on forensic crime shows.

_This, this looks like…_

**_A morgue._ **

‘Byakuya…’ Makoto spoke the heir's name, but the rest of what he wanted to say lingered in his throat. The words were curling up in his abdomen, heavy and in no hurry to be said. The heir didn't seem to hear him anyway.

_Why would the mastermind need something like this?_

_Surely not, for…_

Instead of saying anything, his gaze shifted from the blonde to stare in horror at the machines lining the right wall. He bit his lip to stay silent. Tears began to edge around his eyes, but none fell. The lucky student hoped he wouldn't have to say it to the heir. It hurt his heart, just _knowing_ what was in them.

The heir finished reading and looked up from the pamphlet to once more inspect the refrigerators. The lucky student looked on from afar, too frozen from both the realization and the cold air.

That was when the heir stopped in his tracks.

_Oh._

_...I see._

Byakuya’s eyes widened but soon became a neutral mask as he reached out to graze his fingertips softly over one of the refrigerators. It didn't matter who it belonged to, the gesture was to all of them anyway. An almost apologetic expression crossed his face and he looked back at Makoto, who stared at him in solemn silence.

‘I assume you already know, correct?’ Byakuya kept his voice even as he spoke, ‘You know what are in these?’

‘I-I do, I know what, well uh, _who_ are in there…but I guess we can probably bury them properly later...I need to, I should investigate properly, put those feelings away for now.’ The brunette's voice shook but he began to hold himself with more confidence.

‘Yes, that would be best…’ the blonde managed to agree with him, despite his feelings on the matter.

Byakuya still admired the way he could focus, even after the knowledge that the corpses of all their dead friends were here had shaken him to the core. He'd seen murder after murder, execution after execution, his _own_ execution and yet he was still here holding his head up high, despite all the odds. _And yet, that keeps leading him to trouble,_ **_and could get him killed._ **

_I admire him for the very same reason that I think he could die, fascinating._

Byakuya almost brought up his worries about the boy and also a certain bear, but Makoto already had that determination in his eyes. With a short sigh, he squeezed his arms closer to himself to try to retain more heat as he moved to the inspect the white tarps folded neatly on the ground.

The lucky student came forward to get a better look at the fridges. Something was off about them. He furrowed his brows in concentration as he tried to find exactly what made them seem so strange. It was odd in the first place to have such a room, why hadn't the bodies simply been disposed of?

Was there a purpose to keeping them, or was it just because the mastermind wanted to? Why? He gazed across the lit up fridges absently, trying to figure out that which he had no clues to piece together. The mastermind was certainly horrible for making them do this, but Makoto still felt it was odd that they’d bother keeping the bodies preserved. It almost seemed like it was done keep them, the dead students, close. The lucky student frowned at the idea, simply because of how sick it made him feel. The cold blue lights remained bright, shining to show exactly how many bodies were in the fridges.

...

Wait.

_Hang on a second..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Years Eve I guess? :P  
> Haha, I'm quite late again. Hopefully this is good enough, I think it is... maybe? idk aaah
> 
> It feels really weird to write the investigations because I know people already know this stuff if they've played the game. And if you don't know the stuff then you're just asking for spoilers... Point is, I don't really know how much I should go over because I'm probably not gonna write the trial, I'm just kinda inserting tiny bits of drama between to the two of them.
> 
> I'll probably go through the second floor of the dorms and stuff, but yeah :P I'm mostly just trying to facilitate the dynamic they have. (though I'm probably accidentally making this boring, whoops :P)
> 
> I have another fic I'm writing about these idiots so hopefully that'll be done soon.  
> Also I have some Junko headcanons, so I might incorporate those in another different fic I'll probably write at some point.
> 
> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!  
> Feedback is welcome, good or bad! I love reading any all comments! :D


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